Restrictions
by Plush Panda
Summary: Not having slept properly for the past three days, Cameron starts to hallucinate. Or is she? Cameron/Thirteen. Really, really AU.
1. Chapter 1

Cameron walked into the bathroom, sucking on her thumb. She had half a mind to go back to the store that sold the lab coats and complain about the needle that was still stuck in her sleeve, but quickly changed her mind when she took a look at her finger. The prick was a slight inconvenience, a strange one, but not nearly inconvenient enough to throw a fit over. She pulled out the needle from her sleeve and left it on the sink, proceeding to wash her hands with cold water, idly wondering if there had been more needles left in other coats.

When Cameron turned to retrieve a paper towel, she practically jumped out of her skin when she was met with the palest doctor she had ever seen.

"Jesus!" Cameron raised a hand to her heart, breathing frantically as she took a step back.

"Not quite," the stranger answered simply, smiling in amusement. Confidence rolled off of the other woman as she stood there with her hands in her pockets, her white lab coat a stark contrast to the enticing, dark ensemble and black leather boots she wore. The outfit and matching dark eye shadow looked somewhat unprofessional on a doctor, but her predatory clear eyes dared her to complain about it.

The brunette took in Cameron, eyes moving over her form as she remained deathly still, carefully seizing up the smaller woman. Her eyes flickered down to the minuscule red dot growing on her thumb before raising to blue eyes again.

Cameron took another calming breath before simply ignoring the ghost of a woman and returning to the task of drying her hands. She kept an eye on her from the corner of her eyes, somewhat unsettled by the unmoving doctor watching her so closely. She had the nagging feeling that she was being checked out, but that was simply ridiculous. The hospital restroom was no place for a romantic rendezvous.

Finally unable to ignore her further, she threw away the paper towel and whirled around. "Can I—"

The restroom was empty.

"… help you?" She hadn't heard footsteps or anything, and she had only turned around for a few seconds. Too tired to freak out, she blamed it on the late hour and simply got back to work. It was the last test for the day, and as much as she wanted the case solved, she hoped it wouldn't reveal anything too interesting. She could hallucinate about beautiful, creepy women as much as she wanted in bed, at home, while she was fast asleep.

* * *

"Foreman, go home. Chase and Cameron—" House stopped mid sentence, looking mildly surprised and indignant at the way Cameron was slowly nodding off, head resting in her hand. At the elongated pause and their employer's obvious annoyed expression, Chase and Foreman followed House's gaze to Cameron.

"Raunchy sex in the supply closet," he finished his sentence, but received no reaction from the blonde. Chase didn't react either, knowing it was just a way to get Cameron's attention. House paused again, visibly weighing his options, before settling for a simple solution. "Foreman, Chase, do the scan."

"What about Cameron?" Chase asked, looking between Foreman, who was in the process of getting up, and House, who was walking towards the exit.

"She's obviously not available," House replied, rolling his eyes in his best 'duh' look.

"I'll see you in a bit," Foreman told the Australian doctor, glancing at Cameron as he made his way out.

"That's not—" Chase stopped himself, watching House turn his back on him, and instead reached over to shake Cameron gently by the shoulder.

"Hmm?" She blinked her eyes sleepily, searching the room and eventually setting her eyes on Chase.

"When was the last time you slept properly?" he asked, frowning in concern.

"I—uhm…" She raised a hand to her throbbing head, recalling the strange hallucination in the bathroom. She hadn't had a good night's sleep for over three days. It had always been interrupted by a pager, a phone, an urgent knock, or the construction workers down the street. Telling Chase that, however, would make him worry unnecessarily. "A while ago."

"You should unplug your phone and sleep in tomorrow."

She was about to object to his suggestion – it was a workday after all – but her body was protesting. "Maybe I will."

* * *

Cameron stumbled into her apartment, throwing the door behind her shut. Too tired to walk all the way over to her bed, she dropped herself onto the couch and threw an arm over her eyes.

"Welcome home, Dr. Cameron."

Cameron jumped at the voice and, immediately wide-awake, looked around the room.

Nobody was supposed to be home.

When her eyes fell on the brunette she had met earlier that day in the bathroom, folding her arms nonchalantly as she watched the dozing doctor, she let out a relieved sigh. She resettled herself on the couch and closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would claim her soon.

"You're just… going to ignore me?" The voice was closer this time, somewhat confused as opposed to the smooth purr in which it spoke earlier.

"If I go to sleep, you'll disappear," Cameron answered plainly, then realized that if she was hallucinating, she didn't need to talk aloud.

A deafening silence, then, suddenly, too close for comfort; "You're not wondering why I'm here?" Cameron cracked open an eye, observing the woman. She had kneeled in front of the couch so they were at eyelevel, shooting her a look that asked if she had lost her marbles. In that moment, as Cameron lost herself in piercing blue eyes, smooth pale skin, and ridiculously voluptuous hair, she decided that hallucinating someone so flawlessly beautiful wasn't the worst thing that could happen and that she could spare another few minutes of sleep to talk to her.

"Do I have some unresolved issue that I need to talk about?" she asked, absentmindedly toying with the idea that she had to be immensely frustrated to conjure up this woman who practically radiated sex.

She looked taken aback. "Who do you think I am?"

"I don't know." Cameron shrugged. "I might have seen you in a movie or a catalogue."

The woman watched her for another few seconds, uncomprehending, and leaned in to sniff the air.

"What?" Cameron looked somewhat annoyed, expecting her subconscious to tell her that she smelled bad.

"You're not high or drunk." She took on another perplexed look, now seriously doubting the blonde's sanity. Cameron, not entirely aware of what had been said, was too entranced by her hallucination's chalk white, smooth skin. She raised a hand to her cheek and tentatively touched the cool flesh, surprised that she was able to touch her imaginary friend. The model – she had to be, with the way she carried herself – looked down at the hand briefly. "Are you really a doctor?"

"Okay." Cameron dropped her hand. "I haven't slept in over three days, so you either tell me what the fuck is so important that I'm hallucinating about it or let me sleep."

Her eyebrows raised just a fraction, but the small action seemed to wipe away any remaining confusion. "You think you're hallucinating?"

"And I'm not doing a very good job of it," she added. "You're no one familiar, you keep asking the wrong questions, and you're still wearing your clothes."

The stranger tilted her head at the last observation, but didn't comment on it. "But you can touch me."

"It's possible." Cameron shot her a strange look. "Are you trying to convince me you're not a figment of my imagination?"

"I broke in through your open window." She pointed to the window with her thumb. Cameron didn't bother to look, but did appear to become slightly worried. The stranger's serious demeanor disappeared with a grin. "So you want me to take off my clothes, do you?"

Cameron passed her teeth over her lower lip, considering the woman's words. She could be in serious trouble if the woman wasn't a product of her imagination, but then the occurrence in the bathroom wouldn't have made any sense. Nobody human could disappear like that. And she only started seeing her this evening, which matched with her extreme lack of sleep. Besides – her eyes trailed over her face attentively – she was way too gorgeous to be anything else but a repressed fantasy. "Or I could do it for you," she responded eventually.

"You are the most unusual woman I've ever met." She leaned in dangerously close, stilling when their noses were scant millimeters apart. Cameron watched as clear blue eyes turned darker, vaguely wondering who else her hallucination should've met. "I like it," she purred.

And then Cameron was unable to piece together a single coherent thought, for there were heavenly lips pressed against hers.

Sleep suddenly seemed so far away and unnecessary.

* * *

When Cameron woke up, she noticed with some satisfaction that she wasn't tired at all. She even considered going for a morning jog. That was until she turned onto her side and saw how late it was. It would be another twenty minutes before her alarm clock went off.

Frowning, she sat up, only to realize that she was partially naked beneath the sheets. Suddenly, as she covered herself up unnecessarily, her mind was flooded with memories of last night. Images of what could only be described as forbidden fruit being devoured flashed before her eyes.

She blinked, nervously processing the happening. She should have been comatose for at least a few more hours with what had happened, and her neck – a hand raised to her neck, quickly checking both sides for any tenderness. It was fine.

With a relieved sigh, Cameron concluded that it had all been a dream. A very enjoyable, explicit dream.

She swallowed.

Thankfully, there was enough time to take a very cold shower.

* * *

**This is ridiculous.**

**But so much fun. **

**The hallucination would be Thirteen, of course. And a friend of mine advised me to shut up about the story and let your imaginations go wild, so I'll do just that.**

**There is plot though. Juicy plot, with dark humor.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Hold on!"

Cameron was startled out of her reverie and automatically slapped a hand to the door of the elevator as Chase came jogging into view.

"Thanks," he said with a nod, slightly out of breath.

The doors slid shut eventually, and Chase couldn't help but shoot Cameron a curious look. It was hard not to notice even though she was trying to concentrate on the changing numbers.

"What is it?" she asked, returning his curious expression with one of her own. He remained silent for a while, pressing his lips together as he studied her a little more closely.

"Are you on drugs?" From the evenness in his voice, it was apparent that he was serious.

"What?" Her voice rose in pitch. "No!" Cameron shook her head, unable to believe he just asked that. Though she had asked herself the same thing after last night. How she had managed to think up _that woman_ would forever be a mystery. One thing was for sure though; it could all be blamed on the TV.

"Yesterday you were the embodiment of the living dead and today you volunteer to do extra work?" he offered casually. "Whatever you're having, give me some."

She smiled and rolled her eyes, relieved that he wasn't worrying to the point that it got annoying. "It was just a good night's sleep and a great cappuccino," she explained simply, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had been awake and chirpy after a ridiculously short nap and before her morning coffee.

The elevator dinged.

"And you're sure you never left your cappuccino out of your sight?" he asked offhandedly, following Cameron as she made her way to the lockers. She entertained the thought of House spiking her drink briefly.

"Pretty sure."

"Okay," he relented easily, looking around as if in search of something. Cameron stopped walking for a moment and waited until he cared to explain what he was doing. He gave her a reassuring smile as he turned his eyes back on her. "I need to check on something. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"As always." She returned the smile and headed for the locker room.

* * *

Cameron let out a sigh as she rested her forehead against the open door of her locker, finally feeling some sort of exhaustion overcome her. After the extra hours she had pulled, she was starting to get worried she wouldn't become tired at all. There was something unsettlingly inhuman about the amount of energy she had today.

Shrugging it off, she took out her coat and closed the metal door, only to reveal a certain brunette leaning casually against the other lockers. She was wearing another daring combination of clothes under the lab coat again. The hairs on the back of Cameron's neck rose in dread, her feet suddenly rooted to the ground.

"So we didn't get the chance to talk last night." An amused smile played on the woman's lips, no doubt noticing the blonde's petrified form.

"You," Cameron breathed, all too aware of how she was quivering. She was nowhere near as sleep-deprived as she had been the day before. That could only mean one thing. "You're real."

Her smile grew, her eyes radiating mischief and unadulterated satisfaction. She pushed herself off of the lockers and approached the smaller woman. "Would you like to confirm that theory under the pleasure of white hot—"

The words snapped Cameron out of the stunned state she had fallen victim to. "Stay away from me!" She stumbled backwards, suddenly so frightened and conflicted that she forgot how to run away.

"_Allison_." Cameron was immobilized with the sheer intensity of the way her name had been spoken and the way those clear blue eyes bored into her own. The ground had been pulled from under her feet and her surroundings dimmed into the background. Her every sense was suddenly focused on the mysterious woman in front of her and her almost luminous eyes. There were no sounds beyond her voice. "I'm not going to hurt or rob you." Cameron let out a shaky breath, the words distantly echoing in her ears, the undeniable truth behind them melting away her previous fears.

She remained like that for a moment longer, floating in the brunette's thick presence, before the world set in motion again. The telltale hospital sounds returned and Cameron stood on her own two feet once more. Her breaths were fast and ragged, but slowed down quickly.

She sat down on the nearest bench, slightly dazed from the emotional roller coaster she had been forced to ride. Cameron kept her eyes down on her lap, the woman's jean clad legs coming into view to her right.

"Now that that's out of the way," the brunette began. The lighthearted tone she used irritated Cameron to the point of action.

"Who are you?" she asked quickly, looking up with the most displeased expression she could muster, interrupting whatever her hallucination-but-not had to say.

She met her glare unflinchingly. "You can call me Thirteen." She waited for a moment, expecting several other questions, but none came. "I wanted to talk to you."

"You could have done that without breaking and entering," she responded bitterly, the unwavering hint of amusement in Thirteen's facial expression further unsettling her.

"You didn't seem to mind," she retorted, leaning back on her hands.

"Just get to the point." The blonde rubbed her forehead with a hand, not quite believing that she was having this conversation.

"I need three bags of A positive." The amusement was gone just like that, replaced with a stern aura.

"Then go get it," she said incredulously, frowning in disbelief.

"You don't understand." She shook her head slowly, eyebrows dipping in frustration. "I don't work here." When she raised her eyes to look at the blonde, Cameron was surprised that they held none of the weight they carried before. "But let me explain before you call security," she added quickly.

Cameron eyed her suspiciously, but eventually gave her permission to continue with a brief nod.

"I'm known to treat the less fortunate people on the street whenever I'm available, and I used to get by because I had a contact in the hospital." Thirteen stared into the air in front of her, appearing to recall the events. "He died, and I decided to stop."

"So what do you need the blood for?" Cameron asked, considerably less hostile than she had been moments ago, but still on her guard.

She looked up, desperation in her eyes. "A sixteen year old boy, Frank, got into a car accident. He'll die if I don't get him what he needs."

"I don't understand. If you need it that badly, why did you—" An uncomfortable tone crept into her voice. "Why did you _stall_ last night?"

"He wasn't in a critical condition last night. I was there to make sure I got what I needed if he ever did slip into a critical condition." Her words were steadfast and serious. "Besides," there was a hint of sheepishness in the way she smiled and raised her eyebrows, "I'm only human."

Cameron looked away, unable to stop the blush from tingeing her cheeks as she was reminded of what they had done. "Okay," she said eventually, turning back to Thirteen when she had her embarrassment under control. "But this is a onetime thing and I _never_ want to see you again." She wasn't sure why she believed everything the other woman said, but three blood packs for a stalker free life seemed like a good bargain. Plus, if there was a life on the line and the blood would save it, then that would be a welcome extra too.

Thirteen raised an eyebrow in response, apparently not expecting that condition. "If that's what you want."

"Meet me by the bus stop in fifteen minutes," she said simply, effectively ending the conversation by standing up and walking away.

Thirteen watched her go, her quasi-serious expression remaining until Cameron was facing away. She broke out into a smirk, her eyes lingering on the woman's back as she licked her lips unconsciously.

"Too easy," she muttered to herself, and got up as well.

* * *

When Cameron arrived at the bus stop, she was surprised, but mostly annoyed, at the lack of Thirteen's presence. She had gone through all the trouble of smuggling the blood packs outside and now the woman was nowhere to be found. This made her doubt her intentions. For all she knew, Thirteen was going to sell the blood packs to the black market. And why had she settled for 'Thirteen' as a name anyway? The least she could have given was her real, full name after violating her privacy in every way possible.

"Figures," she huffed, and turned back around to the hospital.

"What figures?"

Cameron jumped out of her skin for the umpteenth time, faced with the woman she had been cursing mere moments ago. "Will you stop doing that!?" she asked in a harsh whisper, gesturing at Thirteen with a vague, violent wave.

"I can't help that you scare easily," she responded evenly, eyes locked on the backpack that Cameron was carrying. "Is that it?" With the way she was eying the bag, Cameron had a feeling that Thirteen knew very well what was in the bag.

"Take it and don't come back." She pushed the backpack into her arms and immediately started walking afterwards, leaving her one-night-stand behind. Hopefully permanently.

"Allison."

"No." Cameron turned around despite herself, insistent about making her point. "You don't get to call me… that." She trailed off, the way Thirteen looked almost repentant catching her off guard. Her eyes seemed to overflow with unspoken words and Cameron could only watch as she listened to their story. If there was one thing she was willing to admit to herself, it would be how the brunette had a pair of incredibly expressive eyes.

Thirteen used that moment of astonishment to slowly close in the gap between them.

"Did you drug me?" Cameron asked, carefully keeping an eye on the brunette. When the response was a confused, somewhat disappointed frown, she explained, "Last night. Did you drug me?"

Thirteen smiled, seemingly enjoying the idea. "I did nothing you didn't want," she answered smoothly. Cameron resisted the urge to stomp away in frustration at the cryptic answer.

"Did I _want_ to be drugged?" she asked, putting some stress behind the question.

Much as she hated to hear it, Thirteen's laugh sounded like music to her ears. "No, I didn't use any drugs on you."

"Good." Cameron was genuinely relieved to hear that. "Now continue disappearing out of my life, please," she shooed her away.

"If that's what you want," she responded, the amusement evident in her voice.

Cameron rolled her eyes and folded her arms, looking at her expectantly. Thirteen seemed to get the message and threw the backpack over her shoulder as she started walking away, but not before shooting the blonde one last curiously amused look.

Cameron found herself admiring the natural fluidity with which Thirteen moved as she walked, even with the unflattering backpack, but quickly replaced the admiration with disdain.

When she had disappeared from eyesight, she finally felt save to return to her car.

* * *

**Anyone notice how there was no touching **_**at all**_** in this chapter? Was that anticlimactic or what? Don't worry ****though, don't**** worry. There'll be touching in the future.**

**Touching sounds bad, haha.**

**Though my test reader commented on how their ****auras**** were practically having sex and how Thirteen was all dominatrix-y****. I mean, what? I'm seriously missing out on stuff as the author xD**

**Anyway. I think I've given enough hints by now. Theories, anyone?**

**ps. Thanks for the reviews, everyone!**


	3. Chapter 3

Cameron was looking over a potential patient's file in diagnostics, her right hand absentmindedly fumbling with a pen. Chase was with her in the room, while House was on the phone in his office, scheming no doubt.

"A new club opened close-by," Chase mentioned, folding the paper he was reading so he could manage it better. "It looks pretty promising."

Cameron looked up and smiled somewhat incredulously, stilling her hand. "Really now?"

"Yeah, we should check it out. See if this review does it any justice." He continued reading his paper, fighting off a smile, only briefly looking up to catch Cameron's expression. She watched him for a moment longer, deciding that, yes, he was asking her out.

"We can't have a faulty review in the paper, now, can we?" she responded playfully.

He nodded, finally giving in to the smile. "It says here it looks best around eight-ish."

She raised a skeptical eyebrow. "It does not."

"So, should I pick you up at eight?" He looked up, smiling pleasantly, pointedly ignoring her question.

"Eight sounds good," she answered despite his strange way of asking.

* * *

"So what do you think?" Chase asked from his place at the bar, holding his beer in one hand.

"Well, the drinks are good," Cameron started, looking around the dimly lit club and busy dance floor. "I like the simple decorations, and the crowd isn't too overbearing."

Chase nodded in agreement, not taking his eyes off the blonde as she watched the dancing mass of people. "What about the music?"

"It's…" She turned back to Chase and hesitated, noticing how they had played a few alternative songs in the brief time they were here. "Colorful."

"Maybe we should test that out, too." He raised his eyebrows, asking the question implicitly.

Cameron smiled broadly. "Maybe we should."

* * *

"Whoa," Chase uttered, looking at something behind his yet-to-be girlfriend. Cameron turned around, their dance momentarily forgotten. The song they had been dancing to came to an end, and switched to something that she would from now on associate with the woman she spotted a good distance away.

At first she supposed that Chase was baffled at the two women dancing so close together because he wasn't used to it, but then they were _touching_ and the brunette seemed to like paying attention to the other's neck – with her mouth. It looked like she was enjoying herself, but when she pulled back and smiled, Cameron noticed that it didn't reach her eyes.

Wait.

How did she know that?

"Thirteen?" she whispered to herself. A cold chill ran down her spine when Thirteen looked up and met her eyes, the thought that she had heard her whisper over the loud music unsettling her. The unmistakable predatory gleam was back in her eyes, and she had no doubt about what she was planning to do with the woman in her arms. The slow and almost ominous song that played only added to the sentiment.

Cameron quickly turned back to Chase, away from those captivating eyes, and worked up an apologetic smile. He still had his eyes on what she presumed to be the two women now making out. "Robert?" She caught his attention when saying his name a second time, louder than before. He looked down questioningly. "I need to use the restroom real quick."

He nodded and pointed to his right. "I'll be over at the bar, okay?"

She shot him a winning smile before making her way through the crowd, to where she believed the restrooms to be. She did not think the woman who was being ravished by Thirteen at that moment was another unfortunate woman, and she was most certainly not acquiring alone time to give Thirteen the opportunity to sneak up on her. Not at all. She disliked the brunette immensely. She clearly remembered the disdain she felt for her. The things she did were unforgivable.

Cameron cursed herself for melting into the arms that wrapped around her from behind. She caught a brief flash of long, brown hair falling over her shoulder, but she quickly recovered her footing and freed herself from the loose grip before continuing to push through the crowd until she made it to a door. Not really paying attention to what the sign on it said, she pushed it open and escaped.

"Of course," she sighed, looking down the dimly lit, cemented alleyway.

When she turned around, she hardly had the chance to prepare herself. Thirteen had indeed followed her outside, and wasted no time in pinning her against the wall and claiming her lips.

Cameron didn't allow herself the time to confirm that the other woman was cold to the touch, and instead pushed her off roughly, suddenly enraged that Thirteen assumed that she was willing to do whatever she wanted.

She watched as Thirteen blinked in confusion after she had slapped her, rubbing the palm of the hand with which she hit her. It felt like she had hit a wooden plank and by the looks of it, it hadn't done much damage either, only adding fuel to the fire.

Cameron was furious. She had been taken for granted. She had been insulted. She was also only now noticing that Thirteen looked winded. Her chest moved up and down as she breathed in discreetly through her nose, and she realized that up until now Thirteen had always remained perfectly composed and motionless. Her eyes were fixated purely on her and she wasn't moving from her spot about a foot away. It almost seemed as if she was waiting for her command.

_Oh_, Cameron thought desperately, eyes adjusting to the dim lighting, taking in the way Thirteen was emanating barely controlled power.

She looked even more impressionable than she remembered her being. It almost made her skin tingle.

"You have a girlfriend." The question came out as a statement.

Thirteen stopped breathing noticeably. The brief silence seemed to stretch into eternity.

"No."

"Why me?"

"Integrity." Cameron would've laughed at the answer if the brunette didn't look so painfully humorless. Apparently the emotion read off her face, because Thirteen broke into a grin soon after. "And you look good."

"Good, huh?" she chuckled, the nervous undertone making her cringe slightly.

Thirteen let her pleased expression answer the question as she approached her unnecessarily slowly, the sharp look in her eyes hinting Cameron to her intentions.

With each step she took, Cameron withdrew from her, keeping a wary – though anxious – eye on her, until she hit the wall. She had half a mind to ask her what the hell she was doing (hadn't she just slapped her for trying to kiss her earlier?), but then she was allowing herself to be kissed and the feeling was strangely exhilarating. There were still doubts in the back of her mind, yet they were diligently ignored when expressed through a feeble push, and for all that she was protesting mentally, she was glad that her actions were being disregarded. Instead of pushing her away, Cameron used her hands to pull the other woman closer by the jacket, moaning piteously when Thirteen complied to her silent request and closed in any remaining distance, deepening the kiss. The mouth moving so skillfully against her own was cold, as if she had been sucking on ice, and Cameron was reluctant to admit that it only added to the invigorating aspect of the experience.

"God," Cameron whispered in between heated kisses, using the opportunity to take in much needed air. "I hate you."

"God has nothing to do with it," Thirteen answered, barely removed from the blonde.

"Shut up," she breathed, annoyed at how composed her reply was compared to her breathless tone, and pulled her in again. Cameron could feel the throaty chuckle vibrate against her lips. The muffled laugh turned into a pleased rumble when the blonde nipped at Thirteen's bottom lip; a meager attempt to shut her up non-verbally.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I—" Cameron broke away to see who had interrupted them, her eyes widening when she spotted Chase standing in the doorway in an equal state of bewilderment. "Cameron! What the..." He turned to a relatively calm Thirteen as Cameron frantically tried to disentangle herself from the other woman.

"Chase, I can explain."

"Okay," he said, folding his arms, immensely displeased but not appearing to be aggressive. "Explain to me how you ended up exchanging saliva with another woman, who was with someone else not two minutes ago, I might add, after excusing yourself from your _date_."

Cameron quickly scrambled for a logical explanation besides the truth, because even if she told the entire story, he would never believe it. So that only left her with telling him she was confused.

Or something.

"This is a pretty straightforward situation, isn't it?" Thirteen started, earning her a glare from both Cameron and Chase. "Cameron had some to drink, I clearly had _too much_ to drink, and you two got separated along the way." Cameron didn't know about Chase, but she could see that Thirteen wasn't drunk at all. By the looks of his relaxing posture, however, he seemed to be buying it. The way she was staring down Chase didn't sit well with her either. "Besides, a kiss doesn't compare to actual romantic feeling."

He appeared to be weighing his options, scrutinizing the woman in front of him, and eventually turned to Cameron, dropping his arms from their folded position. "Let's just go."

Cameron was torn.

Cameron was astonished that she was torn at all.

She was presented the perfect opportunity to leave Thirteen and pursue her yet-to-be relationship with Chase, yet here she was, reluctant to leave the electrifying atmosphere that the mysterious woman always created. Her gaze drifted over to the brunette, reading the usually stunning eyes as mainly indifferent.

"Let's go," she repeated, nodding, following Chase back inside. When she turned to catch one last glance of Thirteen, she thought she caught a wistful smile, but she brushed it off as Chase took her hand. "How did you know where to find me?"

"I saw you walking in the wrong direction."

Cameron nodded, resisting the urge to look back again.

She was not going to feel guilty for ditching the overly hormonal super model.

* * *

She felt guilty.

Cameron paced around her bedroom. Thirteen wasn't the bad person she had imagined her to be. She wasn't intent on taking what she wanted and bowling over everything that got in her way—well, not the things that mattered, like her privacy—okay, her _decisions_ were _mostly_ morally correct. The point was that she was feeling guilty for ditching the woman for the tame date with Chase. The date Thirteen had made possible in the first place. There had been nowhere near as much sparks as she experienced from just thinking about the other woman. The sad smile (or had she been imagining things?) and all its implications were driving her mad. Thirteen might've been jealous of either Chase or her, she might've thought she wasn't good enough for her, there could've been circumstances that she didn't know about…

Cameron let out a frustrated breath, stopping in front of her window to look out at the street, forcing her thoughts to skid to a halt.

…

Hadn't she said she broke in through the window the other day?

She shook her head sharply and didn't even bother to check the lock on the window, instead heading for the front door when a knock resounded through her apartment.

"You rejected him." The statement was as sudden and overwhelming as the woman who spoke the words. Cameron blinked away her confusion, taking in the disappointed scowl Thirteen wore.

"I—what?"

"You shut the door on him before he could even consider kissing you goodnight," she explained, sounding too reprimanding for Cameron's liking. Her previous guilt melted away like snow in the sun, replaced by an irritation only _she_ could summon.

"I'm sorry, how is that your problem exactly?" she asked, mirroring the scowl. Then realization dawned on her. "How do you know what happened anyway? I thought I told you to leave me alone." Somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice laughed, telling her that just a few seconds ago she was feeling guilty for leaving behind the brunette.

"That's not the issue—"

"No," she interrupted sternly, placing her hands on her hips defiantly. "No, it is. First you imply you're a doctor at the hospital, then you let me believe I was hallucinating." She gestured angrily, unconsciously. "Next thing I know, you're desperate to sell whatever on the black market and now you're _still_ stalking me?"

Thirteen shot her a strange look; the only change in her during her minor rant. "You didn't believe me about Frankie?"

Cameron's frown turned incredulous, ignoring the fact that she gave Thirteen the benefit of the doubt at first. "Of course not."

She shook her head, leaning forward to rest a hand against the door opening. "That's impossible, humans believe what they want to hear."

"I'm sorry to break it to you, but you're a horrible lia—" Her eyes widened in disbelief. Thirteen suddenly looked up from her contemplative stare, watching Cameron so closely that the blonde was led to believe that she had let something very important slip. "Humans?"

* * *

**DUN DUN DUNNNN.**

**This is getting really weird. Then again, that's why it's an AU.**

**I almost feel guilty for letting it end here, considering how exams are this week and I won't be relaxed enough to write anything. But I purposely omitted Thirteen's perspective and House's general meddling up until now for plot purposes.**

**Now, about those theories. Some of you, ehm… *****awkward pause* ****How about we just wait 'till next chapter, yeah? I'll make it worthwhile.**

**Ina;** Please do ramble. I like rambling people. I would tell you what's going on, but that would ruin the next chapter, haha. So sit tight. Good theory though.  
**Wesley;** Yeah, sometimes I'm _really_ missing out on stuff as the author. It almost makes me wish someone else would write about aura interaction. And do you really think I'd grant Cameron's wish and still call it a Camteen story? Well, I hope this is to your liking. I'm sure one of them got pregnant in this chapter, according to your logic xD  
**13101307;** Is this soon enough? :P (and I'm curious, what does your name stand for?)  
**Less than 13;** Your heart attack? Damn, I said something faux funny and forgot about it, didn't I? xD

**As always, you reviewers are awesome.**


	4. Chapter 4

Thirteen raised her hand to cover her mouth, expression slowly changing, and then the unimaginable happened.

She started laughing.

Cameron narrowed her eyes at her, trying to focus on all the reasons why she should be angry with the brunette to resist the smile that itched to twitch her lips upwards. The way her mind skipped from lies and deceit to sparkling eyes and musical laughter didn't go unnoticed by her, but her resolve was strong. "You think that's funny?"

"No." She cleared her throat, straightening her back as she focused on an unamused Cameron again. "Sorry, no."

"You have ten seconds to explain yourself."

"You won't pursue Chase, so…" Her eyes still twinkled with mischief as she gave the blonde a faux reprimanding look. "You should go out with me."

Cameron's shoulders sagged from the hostile position they had been stuck in, and she simply stared at the other woman before breaking out into a humorless laugh. "That's funny. It almost sounded like you said you wanted to take me out."

"That's what I said," she said, unfazed by the reaction.

"I don't even know your name!" she protested.

"Remy Hadley."

Cameron was quiet for a moment, amazed at how easy that was. With how mysterious she was acting she thought it would at least take a torture session or two. It didn't change her answer, however. "You're manipulative, creepy, and annoying."

"Yet beautiful, composed, and interesting," Thirteen responded unflinchingly. Cameron shifted slightly, uncomfortable with how easily the obnoxious answer had persuaded her. As she eyed the brunette cautiously, the pale cool skin and impeccable beauty alerted her to a ridiculous notion.

Maybe not that ridiculous if she took the odd first meeting, the intimidation, and the demand for blood into account, but certainly ridiculous on every other level.

After brief deliberation, she sighed, pretending to be persuaded so she could step closer without her intentions being obvious. Hesitantly, a hand was raised to trail her fingers down the woman's cheek. Thirteen's features seemed to soften at her actions, but kept their sharp edge, wary of all movement. The skin was indeed as cold as she remembered it being, but as she pressed into it she noted it was soft and pliable as flesh should be. There was a certain solidity beneath, but nothing unremarkable.

"Why Thirteen?" she asked, hoping to distract her as she continued to lightly trace her fingertips over her jaw, looking up briefly to see if she was going to stop her.

"It took you long enough to ask."

"Don't change the subject." Cameron shot her a knowing look, all the while hoping that she was subtle as her hand lowered to the other woman's neck.

"I come from a big family." Thirteen's smile didn't contain any of its usual mirth. "I was the thirteenth." When Cameron reached her destination, Thirteen covered her hand with her own, seeming to think about whether to move it or not. The blonde was momentarily distracted as she tried to make sense of the pained expression that Thirteen adopted, but then she was too stunned to think properly. "It's better you find out sooner rather than later," she said softly, noticing the change in air.

Cameron shifted her hand a little, desperately trying to find a pulse. "Nothing," she murmured nervously. She pulled back her hand, but Thirteen held on to her, keeping her from moving away effortlessly. A few deep breaths were what it took to calm her nerves to the point that she didn't want to do something drastic anymore. "Dead?" As much as she wanted to sound calm and witty, her voice was nothing more than a squeak.

Thirteen looked down the hallway before entering her apartment and closing the door behind her, all the while keeping a hold on Cameron's hand. "You must have suspected it if you felt the need to check my pulse."

"No." All she could think of was that she was talking to a moving corpse. "I mean yes," she corrected herself, not sure whether to be grateful for the steady hand that held her trembling one.

Thirteen narrowed her eyes thoughtfully as she watched Cameron struggle with her emotions, the blonde standing as far away from her as possible. "I'm not resisting the urge to rip your throat out, nor am I planning to, if that's what you're worried about."

She looked at her, trying to make sense of what she just said, and eventually shook her head when the meaning of her words sunk in. "No." She shook her head, willing herself to calm down. "You're just not possible." Frowning, she took a step closer, freeing her hand so that she could double-check Thirteen's lack of pulse with both hands.

"You're going to need proof, aren't you?" Thirteen asked exasperatedly, tilting her head up somewhat so that Cameron had better access. When she received no answer, she continued, "Besides the unusual amount of energy you woke up with after our evening together. Or the way I _persuaded_ your boyfriend into thinking that I was too drunk for our own good while managing full sentences. Or how I appear out of nowhere several times. Or—"

"Okay!" Cameron threw her hands up in the air, gesturing for her to stop. She looked at her, uncertainty painted across her face, before it sunk in what she said. "That was you?" she asked incredulously, though, somehow, it made sense.

"Which one?" Thirteen asked, not entirely sure what she was referring to.

"The abundant energy. My co-workers thought I was on drugs!" Cameron made sure to tune down the frustration in her voice, consciously or unconsciously self-preserving as she stood in front of what was no doubt a dangerous creature.

"Yeah." She smiled smugly. "I'm just _that_ good."

"That's not what I meant. What did you do to me?"

Her smile grew. "_I_ didn't do anything. It was you." Cameron raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Somewhere along the line the skin of my lip broke and—"

"Oh God, stop, that's… disgusting." Sure enough, her expression told Thirteen the same thing.

"I didn't know it would do that." Thirteen shrugged, appearing so lighthearted about it that Cameron almost forgot what she was implying and what she was talking to.

Silence.

"You're really bad at this," Thirteen said simply.

Cameron snapped out of the slight daze she had fallen into. "What?"

"At asking the right questions," she supplied helpfully, taking a step closer.

"Well, forgive me if I'm short on proper wit. I've never met an animated corpse before." Thirteen stopped in her tracks when Cameron withdrew from her yet again and smiled, easing some of the blonde's tension.

"I planned to stay away after you helped Frankie, you know."

"There was no Frankie."

"No."

"The blood was for you."

"Yes." Thirteen seemed to enjoy answering her questions, her smile present all the way through, though she managed to pull off the amused look a lot, so Cameron took it no mind.

"What happened?" she asked, realizing that there had been a 'however…' coming on.

Thirteen blinked.

She blinked as much as anyone, but after reopening her eyes, she seemed lost in a memory, and for the first time since Cameron had met her, she didn't appear to be as hyperaware of her surroundings. The look disappeared just as soon as it had appeared and when they locked eyes she became the cause of Cameron's goosebumps yet again. "I can't tell you."

Cameron resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the cliché.

"I don't want to creep you out," she explained, taking another chance as she closed in the distance between them. The blonde, too busy fighting off the pleasant sensation of her skin prickling, didn't fully realize she was standing close until Thirteen's cold breath hit her cheek as she spoke. "I'll tell you if you'll go out with me."

"Why?" she whispered, quickly noticing her quiet tone. The more she stayed in the other woman's proximity, the more her resolve to stay cool and collected crumbled. It was starting to get annoying. She rephrased the question before Thirteen could say something of it. "Why do you want to go out with me that desperately?" she demanded.

"Promise me," Thirteen insisted, the patience in her voice so tangible that it made Cameron wonder with how much annoyingly curious 'humans' she had to deal with in her undead life.

"Fine," she said, more firmly than intended. "One date on my conditions." She was going to get in so much trouble for this. She didn't know how or why, but the feeling in the pit of her stomach was unmistakable.

Thirteen observed the other woman closely, and Cameron couldn't decide whether the slow but steady change in her aura was something she should be worried about. Being this close, she could feel the regular cold breaths of air against her skin becoming less in interval, almost see the darkness swirl in her eyes and smell the heady scent of something overwhelmingly indescribable.

"I couldn't get you off my skin."

Cameron focused her eyes on the brunette, momentarily wondering if that had been her own thoughts or not. Thirteen's mouth was slightly agape, barely revealing the bottom row of her teeth. Her lips were moving.

"Couldn't wash you from my clothes." Cameron didn't see the movement, but arms were suddenly encircling her, pulling her in closer. "Had to hear your voice, the thundering of your heart, the fluttering of your breath," she continued in a steady whisper, the words so clear to the blonde that they almost rung painfully in her ears. "It might have been the exchange that caused all this, but frankly," she leaned in, lips barely brushing, "I don't care anymore."

The words barely registered as she stood limply in her arms, the sense being kissed out of her slowly. As soon as the meaning of her words got through, a spark of resistance and common sense ignited, consuming her gradually.

"My conditions," Cameron said, forcing the words out as she created some space between them. A rumble vibrated through her chest, and she couldn't help but feel like a prey when she realized that the rumble was a muted growl emanating from Thirteen. Her eyes, though darkened and intimidating, weren't pressuring. "How long before it wears off? The unnatural attraction—the exchange."

The following silence stretched out, something about it unnerving Cameron. She didn't realize why it was unsettling her until Thirteen spoke. "A week, a month, 120 days, I don't know." There were no more cold puffs of air cooling her face – the brunette wasn't breathing.

"My condition," she repeated, the words almost hurting her as she thought of them, "is that we wait until April."

"That's four months from now." It was more of an observation than an objection, and Cameron was surprised she didn't react more instinctively to the disappointment she must have been feeling.

"I know."

"Okay," Thirteen said suddenly, her presence shifting. It took a moment, but Cameron saw that it wasn't a shift in presence, but rather a backwards movement. Thirteen had moved away, and for all the undead coldness that she always radiated, she was feeling strangely cold with the other woman standing a good distance away.

She closed her eyes for only a second, trying to regain some of her footing, and when she reopened them, Thirteen was gone.

* * *

Cameron watched as Chase fiddled with the coffee machine, but was unable to get the thing working.

A week had passed by torturously slow. Thirteen hadn't even shown up in her dreams. In fact, the whole happening seemed like a distant dream to her now. A vampire on her doorstep certainly sounded like some out of control fantasy. Maybe she had been hallucinating after all.

"I'll call maintenance," Foreman finally piped up, probably tired of watching Chase as well. He stood up and walked over to the phone.

"Maintenance?" Chase asked, looking between Foreman and Cameron.

She shrugged when his eyes fell on her.

"Marital problems?" House walked into diagnostics, holding a file under his arm, apparently picking up on the non-existing tension between Chase and her.

"Machinery," Chase corrected, finally leaving the coffee machine to sit at the glass table.

"Is that some kind of slang for 'the date didn't go well last week and now we're back at square one'?" he asked, shooting a brief glance at Foreman on the phone.

"It's slang for it's none of your business," Cameron said before Chase could answer.

"Somebody will be up in a few minutes," Foreman interrupted, hanging up the phone and taking his place at the table again.

"Square one it is," House confirmed, pulling out the file from under his arm and throwing it onto the table. "Anyone of you ever ate at Paul's Pizza Place?"

* * *

"I said I wanted daring, not stupid!" House said, his eyes occasionally flickering to something in the hallway. Everyone noticed the strange action and turned to see what was so interesting, half expecting a furious Cuddy to storm into the room.

Cameron's heart thudded in her throat when she identified the woman in tan uniform.

"Don't mind me, I'll be done in a minute," Thirteen said, sounding so ordinary and looking so normal that Cameron started to doubt her sanity. She snapped out of it as the brunette headed over to the coffee machine and glanced around the room. Everyone's eyes were glued to the mechanic. Two out of three heads tilted sideways when she bend over to check if the machine was plugged in correctly.

Before Cameron could recover enough to summon whatever emotion was proper for this situation, Thirteen straightened up, the coffee machine coming to life. "It wasn't plugged in properly at the back," she explained simply, turning to the group, unaffected by the awkward stares and the silence that ruled the room. She did frown slightly when she received no answer. "You're welcome," she mumbled, going back to wherever she came from.

Everyone was still gawking after she left.

House turned to the three. "Fifty bucks for whoever gets her real name and number."

Surprisingly, Foreman was the first to stand up and follow her, an eager, barely noticeable skip in his step. House grinned as he watched him go, then eyed both Chase and Cameron's disapproving expressions.

"Oh, come on, it's not like I'm asking you to hit on the janitor slash Greek goddess." He rolled his eyes, limping over to the door. "And even if I was, it's not like anybody's waiting for you at home," he added, grinning.

Chase let out a sigh and stood up reluctantly, throwing one last glance at Cameron before following both House and Foreman out the door.

Meanwhile Cameron sat rooted in her seat, unable to care about fifty dollars more or less.

Thirteen had a _day_ job as a _janitor_ in the hospital?

* * *

***cackles madly at all the previous frustrated reviews***

**Dang, it's hard to keep writing them as super(--naturally, haha) attracted to each other. Though I wonder how many of you thought it was because of a huge crush that I wrote Thirteen off as extraordinarily beautiful. Actually, a lot of you guessed that she was a vampire, so not a lot, probably.**

**And yes, House could probably get the name and number by himself, but where would be the fun in that?**

**13101307; **If you like your endings strange, you must find this incredibly awesome xD That date… is the origin of Friday the thirteenth?  
**Too Lazy to Sign in;** A V? Is that someone who's addicted to V or…? Ack, I don't know what you're talking about. At least it has become clear what she is in this chapter. Glad you like it.  
**Me;** *cackles* I hope I didn't disappoint.  
**Ina;** That is the question. Is Thirteen "simply" addicted to Cameron or is there more to it? I have some more creepy moments in store, that's for sure. It's all good, sexy, dangerous fun, haha. So, any new theories you want to share?

**Ps. There had been some technical issues, so that's why this chapter's a week late. On the bright side, I get to wish you all a happy Christmas! xD**


	5. Chapter 5

Five minutes after they had all left, House reopened the door and peeked his head in, telling what was wrong with the patient before hurrying off again. Cameron, still baffled by the idea of Thirteen working at the hospital as a janitor, was on autopilot as she headed over to the labs to confirm his idea. On her way there, she saw Foreman in action, casually talking to their new janitor about some appliance that probably wasn't even broken. Thirteen was smiling through his attempts at making small talk, and if the smile hadn't widened when she threw a glance at Cameron, the blonde would've gone insane.

The simple acknowledgement had comforted her somewhat, reassuring her that she hadn't been hallucinating everything the past few days. She couldn't shake the numbness that came along with such an intangible event, however.

And that's how she ended up in the lab, staring down the machinery as if it would do the test itself. Without knowing how she came to the decision, she concluded that she needed to warn Thirteen about House before he got to the point that he noticed how dead she was. The only way to do that was to either call maintenance or her.

Cameron frowned, steadying herself on her seat as she thought about how ridiculous her plan was. She wasn't even sure how good the woman's hearing was. She cleared her throat. "Thirteen?" she asked the room, immensely glad that no one was around. "I need to talk to you. Preferably between now and very soon."

Seconds ticked by, but nothing happened.

Cameron shook her head. "Of course not," she muttered to herself, feeling stupid.

* * *

Halfway through the test, the door opened, and she didn't even consider the possibility of it being Thirteen. If she hadn't appeared out of thin air already, she would most certainly not use the door later.

"What did you need to talk about?"

Cameron looked up, startled. Thirteen was leaning on the table across from her, elbows and hands resting on the surface, still looking incredibly casual about everything. "House," she answered, surprised that the brunette decided to appear like any other normal human being.

Thirteen nodded in understanding, keeping their eyes locked as opposed to the subtle glances from before. "I know," she replied. "He's dangerously persistent, observant, and will do anything to achieve his goal, so it's probably best if I just play along and hand out fake phone numbers and names."

"Uh, yeah." Well, that was easy. "Which brings me to my second point. What the hell are you doing here?" Cameron didn't know why, maybe it was a combination of the distance between them, the workplace, and the topic at hand, but she felt more at ease with Thirteen than she could remember being.

"I couldn't stay away," she admitted, letting out an unnecessary sigh, her eyebrows raising a fraction in what could be interpreted as either guilt or carelessness. She tilted her head, immediately changing the subject. "Do you want my phone number?"

"So you decided to work here as a janitor?" Cameron asked, trying to put emphasis on the ridiculous situation.

"Contract for half a year. I intend to quit as soon as your boss gets too nosy. Do you want my phone number or not?"

Cameron took a moment to process the straightforward answer. "Okay." Thirteen looked around for something, suddenly becoming out of focus, a blur, and before Cameron could blink she was already turned to the blonde, holding a card with her name and phone number. It freaked the immunologist out somewhat, but she was still relaxed enough to take the card. "Don't do that again."

"Yes, ma'am," she responded with a grin, resting her chin on a hand.

"Stop being a stalker," Cameron tried.

"Nice try." Thirteen chuckled and Cameron noted how she didn't feel the need to describe her laugh as tinkling, musical or magical. Instead it was pleasantly normal. In fact, it seemed like Thirteen had dropped the whole dangerously sexy façade and opted to go for approachable human instead. She was hardly able to resist returning the smile. "Your smile is nice."

"Yours has lost its touch," she shot back, smile widening at Thirteen's surprised look. "Are you even qualified to do your job?"

Thirteen raised an eyebrow. "Are you questioning my abilities as a janitor?"

"At first I thought janitors only cleaned hallways and stuff, but apparently you also fix… things."

"How very educated of you," she said, her amusement all too evident in her laughing eyes. The look quickly disappeared as she pushed herself off of the table. "Your boyfriend is coming."

"I'll never get used to that," she commented, leaning back over her work in an attempt to get serious again. "I'm sure you'll see me later."

Cameron was taken off guard but strangely pleased when hands rested on her hips and cold words were whispered in her ear. "I don't just watch." She didn't get the chance to exhale or to turn around and see what Thirteen was implying, because the next thing she knew, the door opened.

"Hey," Chase said, looking especially chipper for someone who had just been with House. He walked in and stood in the same space Thirteen previously occupied. Cameron couldn't help but think what a poor replacement he was compared to the woman. "I'm supposed to get you, and," he pulled out a piece of paper, grinning from ear to ear, "buy us coffee with my fifty bucks."

Cameron raised an eyebrow, smiling in mild disbelief. "Have you tried calling the number yet?"

"Not yet," he admitted, face falling as realization came over him. "She wouldn't have… would she?" She shrugged, turning her attention back on her work. He looked down at the number, frowning. "Damn."

* * *

House took a brief look at the three different notes on the table, one of them his own, and rolled his eyes. "They're all fake."

"What?" Foreman looked almost dignified as he checked for any hints. Chase watched him go through the notes, somewhat miffed that he had been dealt a fake phone number, but mostly indifferent.

"Scarlet Meyer, Norah Johansson, Stephanie Jones?" he read, a smile working up his lips. "An actress, a writer and a singer. It's almost as if she knew we were coming." He narrowed his eyes at Cameron, shooting her a suspicious look.

She waited for him to make the accusation, an excuse at the ready.

"But the numbers are all the same," Foreman noted, relieved. Cameron took a quick glance at the numbers, but was pleased to discover that it wasn't the number she had been given. She didn't particularly feel like sharing it, however, if it meant that Thirteen was going to be harassed by the entire male part of the crew.

"Pizza or Chinese?" House asked, taking a number as he walked over to the phone. "My bet's on Chinese." He dialed the number and turned on the speaker.

"_Chin's laundry service, how may I help you?_"

House hung up the phone. "Chin, Chinese, all the same." He turned back to the group, determination burning in his eyes. "Foreman, find her record, Chase, break the phone, Cameron, look pretty when she gets here." He smiled perversely. "I have a feeling she drives automatic, if you know what I mean."

Cameron was surprised they actually went ahead with the tasks, so she did the first thing that came to mind: play the unethical card. "Didn't we have a case?"

House mulled it over for an entire 2.3 seconds. "Minor details. Chase, go give Toyota the treatment for his infection. I'll sabotage the phone," he said, turning to the aforementioned machine.

Chase gave him a strange look. "You mean Tanaka?"

House looked around the room, as if searching for the source of some mysterious sound, before resting his eyes on Chase. "I'm sorry, did you say something I actually cared about?"

Cameron sighed, earning her an expectant look from her boss, and spoke up again after Chase left the room. "I have her real number."

Foreman turned to her, frowning in disbelief. House picked up the phone, grinning. "Yes?"

Cameron took out the piece of paper reluctantly and proceeded to give him the number. When Foreman continued to give her the disbelieving look, she simply shrugged at him. "I wanted to know where she got her hair done," she offered. He seemed to buy it and watched as House waited for an answer.

"Hello, this is Dr. Cameron's assistant, George Smith," House began, his face animated as he spoke. Cameron already felt a headache coming on. "I was asked to schedule a meeting. Is tonight suitable?" He paused as he listened to the reply. "I'm sorry, I don't know if she was the one who asked you about your hair, but I do know she has tonight off." Foreman gave Cameron a look which she could only interpret as sympathetic while House continued his talk. "Shall I book a reservation for two at Fenouille's around eight?"

"She better not agree if she knows what's best for her," the blonde mumbled, half hoping Thirteen was listening in.

"Six?" House repeated, eyebrows dipping into an frown, reluctant to let her leave when they had a patient. "I'm sure she'll be able to make it," he finally relented.

Cameron ran a hand through her hair. That was a welcome perk, but not what she meant. She turned her eyes on House after he said his goodbyes, pressing her lips together in annoyance. "You think I'll go out with her, why?"

"If you want to leave the poor sex goddess waiting for minutes, _hours_ on end," he spoke dramatically, scrunching his eyebrows up to make an exaggerated sad face, before straightening out and continuing to speak normally, "then that's entirely your choice."

She stared him down. How she hated how he always got his way.

* * *

Cameron walked across the parking lot, busy trying to come up with a plan to get out of going to dinner with Thirteen. They hadn't made any actual reservations, so she would just meet up with her and tell her it was a hoax.

The blonde opened her car and got in, not yet starting it up as she got her thoughts in order. She had no doubt that someone would be watching them, however, whether it was House or one of his cohorts. They just had to keep flirtatious glances and touches to a minimum and everything would be okay.

Cameron caught a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror, finding trepidation written all over her face. Groaning quietly, she rested her forehead against the steering wheel.

She was so dead.

An abrupt knocking to her window snapped her out of her misery. When she tilted her head to the side, she was greeted with a definite female figure drowning in an oversized blue vest. It was open at the front, revealing the more flattering gray shirt underneath. The woman bent forwards to look inside the car and Cameron was surprised to see Thirteen.

Cameron rolled down the window, about to ask what was the deal with the unbecoming outfit.

"If you didn't want to go, you could've just told me so," Thirteen said, resting her elbows on the edge as she leaned in somewhat.

"And miss out on an early night at home?" she asked, laughing weakly.

Thirteen stood motionlessly as she watched the doctor intently, no doubt wondering about the blonde's behavior. "You sound stressed."

"I wonder why?" Cameron gave her a pointed look.

"Sorry," Thirteen said, still as unmoving as ever. "I didn't mean to make a mess of your professional life as well."

Cameron let out a shaky breath, turning her eyes on her hands gripping the steering wheel. "I need you to promise me something." She looked at the brunette, who now sported a subtle, curious expression. "I'm going to tell you something and I need you to stay quiet and walk away afterwards."

"Literally?" she asked. Cameron nodded. The curiosity in those eyes intensified. "Okay."

Cameron released her death grip on the steering wheel and dropped her hands in her lap, feeling the familiar stare follow her every movement. She observed the patience that Thirteen radiated for another moment before pushing herself out of her seat, bringing herself closer to the other woman. She was fascinated to note that Thirteen had stopped breathing all together when she finally pressed their lips together. The touch brought with it the usual coolness that Cameron had come to associate with the pleasant sensations teasing her spine, and then she was intensifying the kiss, craving more than just the simple tingle.

A freezing hand on her cheek startled her back to earth. How her hands got to fisting Thirteen's vest or how her tongue managed its way into her mouth suddenly seemed inconceivable. Following her instincts, she pulled the hand from her face and drew away. "No," she whimpered, thankful when, instead of pushing the subject, Thirteen moved away as promised. "Too cold."

The brunette stood for a moment, uncomprehending, before wiping the expression from her face. She seemed to fight the urge to say something, anything, but eventually stepped away from the car entirely.

Cameron started up the car, desperately needing to escape. She had no idea what came over her. Initially, she just wanted to tell Thirteen why they needed to wait, but then a week without her touch seemed like a week too long and whatever rationality she might have had flew out of the window. If Thirteen decided it had been good time to have her way with her, she probably would've been unable to resist. The loss of control scared her. It had to pass. She needed to get away.

With one last look at the perfectly still, impassive Thirteen, she drove out of the parking space.

* * *

**Hint: there's a difference between day and night (well, duh xD). Gah! I want to get to the interesting part already. Stupid buildup.**

**So, how many votes for Thirteen's perspective next chapter? Also, how does Cuddy react to Thirteen's presence? What will House do when he finds out that they didn't have dinner together? And will Chase finally recognize Thirteen? FIND OUT, IN THE NEXT EPISODE OF RESTRICTIONS! *echoecho***

**(why is it called Restrictions anyway? Oh right, that's the interesting part, haha)**

**Ina;** Well, this chapter implied that Thirteen didn't purposely sabotage anything. So far so good. What do you mean by the blood's purpose? In the plot you mean? But you're right about one thing! A thing which I will elaborate on in the next chapter, whether it'll be Thirteen's perspective or not xD Anyway. It's awesome to see you so involved in the story.


	6. Chapter 6

Thirteen walked into the main hall of the hospital listlessly, looking around for the light that had died down. She quickly spotted it, no thanks to the male nurse that was waving her over. The Asian man was standing next to a dark haired woman, and even though Thirteen was a generous 50 feet away, she could clearly hear what they were whispering about.

"You actually sabotaged something?" the woman asked, scandalized.

"It's not like I broke it," the nurse replied in his defense. "I just unscrewed it a little."

"Well, I can't say I wouldn't have." Thirteen was given a once over. It took all she had not to roll her eyes. "Even I'm reconsidering my sexuality."

"You're married," the nurse pointed out. "To a man."

"Yes. She's inducing illicit thoughts. I should be punished." They both shared a laugh. Thirteen looked to the side, praying to God that there was a distraction she could attend to before she arrived. She had no such luck, however.

"Sshh, she'll hear you."

_Too late_, Thirteen thought, reluctantly working up a pleasant smile as she crossed the final few feet.

"Hello, miss…" his eyes trailed down to her chest, in search of a name plate, "Hadley."

Thirteen nodded, returning greeting, and got up on the chair they had so kindly put there for her so she could get to the light. They weren't exactly subtle as they gawked. Or maybe they were, but the point was that they were getting on her nerves. She took a deep breath to remind herself why she putting up with this particular annoying display of humanity, picking up on Cameron's distinctive scent in the mix of unflattering hospital odors.

Her favorite doctor hadn't spoken in quite a while, so she had to resort to other means of defraying her sensitive nerves. Her scent was by far the most successful in soothing her, and when she talked, the bothersome sounds of the outside world almost seemed to melt away. Sometimes it almost made her feel human.

She quickly found the problem with the lamp, knowing how it had been sabotaged in the first place, and got to it as soon as subtle allowed her.

"The light just started flickering all of a sudden," the nurse added unnecessarily, apparently trying to make some sort of small talk.

"I'm sure it did." Thirteen ignored the way the man's heart was thundering in his chest, and instead took another breath. She was pleasantly surprised when the familiar scent hit her harder than usual. Unconsciously, she turned her head in the direction it originated from, watching as Cameron was moments away from running into Cuddy.

"_Okay, what game is House playing this time?_" Cuddy asked the blonde, foregoing hellos.

"_I'm not sure what you're talking about_," Cameron answered truthfully.

Thirteen screwed the lamp back in place without looking, oblivious to how the dark haired woman was encouraging the nurse to continue his attempts.

"So, are you new here?" Thirteen turned back to the pair, frowning at the awkward question.

"_I caught him digging through the personnel files_." Cuddy's voice rang in her ears. She was unable to tune her out when she was involved in a conversation with the object of her obsession.

"I have to go," Thirteen said flatly, getting off the chair. "Sweep some floors," she added as an afterthought, not making eye contact as she made her escape.

The nurse stared as she walked away. "Am I the only one who thinks that was insanely hot?"

The dark haired woman turned to him, shaking her head incredulously before walking off.

* * *

"He's probably looking into the new janitor," Cameron clarified.

Cuddy made an understanding noise, immediately understanding. "I should fire her."

Cameron blinked, not expecting that answer. "To… protect her?" she guessed.

"To protect my hospital. Defects have doubled since she was employed. Either she's sabotaging things on purpose, which I doubt, because she hardly seems to enjoy the attention." She glanced over Cameron's shoulder, nodding in that direction. The smaller woman followed her gaze. She was just in time to see Thirteen walking away from a love struck nurse. When Thirteen met her eyes briefly, she was suddenly all too aware that the brunette could hear whatever they were saying. "Or my staff is sabotaging things to catch a few precious glimpses of," she searched for a word, "that."

"That?" Cameron asked, turning back to the dean.

"I'm sure you've noticed how attractive she is," Cuddy said, giving her a knowing look. Cameron panicked slightly at the look. Did she know? Had she seen?

"It's hard not to notice," she answered, hoping her smile didn't hold a nervous edge. "House's been making comments about her since she first set foot in diagnostics."

Cuddy considered her words for a moment, appearing perturbed by the idea.

This gave Cameron a moment to think. The dean seemed intent on firing her, not only for the hospital, but also because Thirteen was attracting too much attention. Not having to worry about her at work certainly was an attractive concept. "Maybe you should fire her," she began. "He already made a contest of getting her phone number. God only knows what he'll do next."

Cuddy smiled wistfully. "If that's the case, let's hope she quits. I can't very well fire someone for looking good, so soon before Christmas nevertheless."

"Maybe you're right," she agreed after a while. "We'll just have to wait and see what happens."

* * *

"Did you get stood up?" House asked from his place near the whiteboard as Cameron entered the room.

"No," she answered simply, taking a seat next to Chase, who looked between them with curiosity written all over his face.

"You two didn't show up." He leaned more fully on his cane.

"And yet you did, even though you weren't invited," she bluffed, hoping that Chase would either ask his question already or stop looking at her like she grew a second head.

"George Smith is always invited," he mocked. "So you two met beforehand and decided to skip the courting ritual altogether to have hot, steamy—" Foreman took this exact moment make his entrance. "Foreman!"

Cameron did her best to repress the mental images, but she knew she failed when she couldn't look Foreman in the face anymore.

"You went out with Foreman?!" Chase finally asked, sounding like someone just told him the world was flat. Cameron whipped around, both her and Foreman shooting him a disgusted look.

"No," House took the liberty of answering the question for her. The tone he used left little to the imagination. "She _didn't even go out_ with Jan."

"Jan?" Foreman asked, remembering quite clearly how he set her up with the jan—oh. "Oh."

"I didn't not even not—" Cameron stopped when she said the words out loud, noting how ridiculous her wording was. She shook her head and looked Chase in the eye. "I bumped into her and told her it was a hoax, which is all it was."

"But she got her number!" House supplied, ever helpful. Chase's eyes widened, but with the way his reaction was delayed Cameron doubted it was House's comment he was disturbed about.

She turned back to her boss, suspecting what Chase remembered. "You owe me fifty dollars."

"You should be paying _me_ for hooking you up with miss Universe," he said, pulling out his wallet nevertheless. He limped over and threw some notes onto the table, stopping only to look at something in his wallet. "Huh," he mumbled, frowning. "Wilson has a discount card for Bobby's hairdresser." He stared off into space as realization seemed to overcome him, and, without further explanation, he exited diagnostics.

Foreman took a step to the side to let him pass, but quickly decided to escape as well when he saw Chase's tightened jaw and stiff posture. "I still have clinic duty," he said, making a smooth escape.

"She's the woman from the club, isn't she?" Chase asked, sounding a lot calmer than Cameron was feeling comfortable with.

She turned to the man, facing the inevitable. He appeared as calm as he sounded. "So what if she is?"

"Did you know she worked here?"

"No," she answered, glad she didn't have to lie.

"Are you two seeing each other?"

Cameron honestly didn't know what to say, and the fact that she didn't know what to say annoyed her beyond belief, because they weren't seeing each other – at all. They might've done more than she ever even thought of doing with Chase, but they were definitely not serious on any level.

Chase took her silence for an answer. "Okay," he said, exhaling, bringing Cameron back to the present. He ran his hands over his face tiredly. "Your secret is safe with me."

"That—I—what?" She didn't know if she should start by clearing up that she didn't have any sort of relationship with Thirteen or be bewildered over how understanding Chase was being.

"She isn't right for you, and I won't stop until I can prove it, but okay." He looked at her, forcing any kind of negative emotion off his face.

Cameron blinked once, twice. "Whoa, hold on. I'm not seeing her."

"You realize your credibility went down the drain when you had an internal turmoil, right?"

"I didn't have an internal turmoil, I was just…" She searched the air in front of her as if it held the answer.

"Debating whether or not you two have a relationship to speak of?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "That would be reason number one."

She sighed, deciding to just let it go instead of having an aneurysm over everyone's constant pestering. "Right."

Chase was taken aback. "That's it?"

"I'm not seeing her. What else do you want me to say?" she said, unconsciously showing the palm of her hand to emphasize her point. He studied her for a moment longer, seemingly unable to make up his mind. After a few more seconds of unadulterated analyzing, Cameron decided to pull a Foreman and get out of there before it became too awkward. "I still have things to do," she offered.

He looked down, nodding. "Yeah, me too."

* * *

Cameron stood still in the middle of the hallway, brow furrowed, drawing a few curious glances. An inexplicable feeling of dread had crept up on her. At first it was just an inkling, hardly noticeable, and she could ignore it easily. Now that it was a full-blown hunch, however, she could hardly turn her back on it. Letting the feeling sink in, she found that it felt like she was being tugged into a direction. It was a suspicion, something inside her that told her she needed to be somewhere.

Curiosity winning from rationality, she followed the invisible path that was laid out for her, unwittingly remembering stories about knowing beforehand when loved ones had died.

She ended up in front of the restrooms. With a skeptical look at the extraordinary plain door, she began to reconsider the feeling. The last few days had just been too interesting, and now it was taking its toll. The drops of blood near the entrance was probably the stress playing a trick on her eyes. It would most likely even appear to be something else if she took a closer look.

Cameron stared. The drops didn't even look like spilled juice.

Cursing under her breath, she opened the door. The dread returned tenfold when she entered the restroom. A trail of red splotches led to the nearest toilet, the amount of blood increasing in quantity as it neared the stall. Her eyes shot up when the stall opened and Thirteen came walking out, grimacing. She was in the process of cleaning what Cameron could only believe to be excess blood from her hand with a paper towel and didn't seem to notice her just yet. Her lower lip was covered in the thick, red liquid, a pink smudge on her chin from where she wiped away whatever had escaped her.

All movement stopped.

Cameron's wide eyes shot up to Thirteen's careful, clear ones.

* * *

**I can only imagine what you're all thinking right now xD**

**Okay, the explaining has been postponed with another chapter… or two. The plot just never seems to work with me, and while I was looking forward to revealing some things too! Gah. Just hang in there, everyone. Answers are neigh.**

**Ina; **I really, really want to elaborate, but I won't. It would spoil… things. And since all your questions are related to the plot, I can't answer much. I guess I can tell you you're onto something with the influencing, that much is hinted. One thing's for sure though, I wouldn't have stayed away either, haha.


	7. Chapter 7

Thirteen licked her lower lip clean, her eyes penetrating and careful as she took in the blonde's reaction.

Cameron's first reaction was to reach for the door handle, even though she desperately needed to know whose blood that was. She didn't know whether to be grateful or not when a split second later Thirteen was leaning over her, both hands placed on either side of her against the closed door. Since she had been trying to leave, her back had been turned to the brunette, who now took the opportunity to trap her against the door by pressing into her.

"Edgar from maintenance forced my hand." She sounded miles away even though her voice was crystal clear next to her ear. "I couldn't refuse lunch again without making it seem like I had some eating disorder." Cameron was petrified when Thirteen pressed her nose to the back of her neck, through her hair, and inhaled deeply. "Eating something solid can be quite the inconvenience to us. It's safe to say I'm the only one that got hurt."

The explanation sounded rational, and it comforted Cameron to know that there hadn't been a tiny massacre, but at that moment it seemed the least of her problems if the woman was left feeling hungry after throwing up her guts.

A horrid screech startled her out of her immobile state, and she looked up to see what caused the sound, careful not to stir Thirteen too much. She cringed when she witnessed how the brunette had raked her nails across the door, leaving deep indents in the surface.

"You just don't know what you do to me." The sentence was accompanied with a large, drawn out sigh. Cameron shuddered as the cold air hit the sensitive skin of her neck. "You make me do such _stupid_ things."

Her heart beat madly in her chest as the air was replaced by cool lips.

"So warm," Thirteen murmured affectionately, voice muffled.

Cameron forgot how to breathe when teeth passed carefully over her skin, a definite sharpness to them that she didn't want to test. She had meant to sound firm and demanding, but it seemed to have become a habit that her vocal cords failed her when a certain brunette was involved. "Thirteen." She had to remind herself that she might be in mortal danger to prevent herself from actually enjoying the blissful moan that her whisper issued forth. "Thirteen," she repeated, putting more stress behind the name.

"I would only take a little," Thirteen protested, removing her mouth anyway. "You'd like it."

Feeling less helpless now that she was attempting to pry permission from her, Cameron turned around, somewhat surprised at how pliant Thirteen was when she allowed the action. There was no predatory aura to her as she had expected, no pleading helplessness in her eyes, only the human – the normal – air that she had become so accustomed to seeing during the day.

"I'm sorry," Cameron said, opposed to the idea of doing something that up until now she only read about in books and saw in movies.

"Why do you keep pushing me away?" Thirteen repositioned herself so that she was standing upright. Her hands remained on the door, however, keeping the illusion that she had Cameron trapped.

"I need to wait until it wears off," she whispered, afraid to anger the woman.

"Until what wears off?" She frowned, appearing confused. "You mean my blood?"

"Yes."

Thirteen closed her eyes in something akin to agony, flashing her impeccable white teeth and fangs as she grimaced. Cameron was too taken by the sight to even think about running. Not that she had anywhere to run to with the brunette leaning against the door. It took a moment, but Thirteen met her eyes again. "Love is a chemical reaction too. Do you wait until that's over before you act?" She didn't wait for an answer, inching closer instead. "You can dump my sorry ass if you're done with me, but right now I know that I want this. I want _you_."

Cameron raised her hands and rested them on her shoulders, effectively stopping her from getting too close. She couldn't help but notice how she implied that Thirteen was the one being used, and even if she did make a good point, Cameron was nowhere near calm or convinced enough to comply to her wishes. "Let me go. You need to compose yourself." _I need to compose myself_.

"Do you really want me to quit?" she asked out of nowhere, all business. "I can't keep pretending I'm something I'm not if you don't want me here."

"You should quit," she answered, not needing to think about it much. Especially with what had happened just a minute ago. "You should quit before anyone finds out what you are."

Thirteen mulled it over, looking to the side. "I need to clean up," she said, dropping her arms and withdrawing from Cameron.

"Thirteen," Cameron called just before the other woman turned away. Thirteen stood perfectly still as she looked at the blonde. Cameron hesitated. "Are you going to be okay?"

Thirteen looked down at the splotches of blood. "I have been so far."

Cameron willed herself not to think of what that meant. "I'll leave you to it then," she said, exiting the bathroom. Once outside, she hurried in a random direction, away from the restrooms. Up until now, Cameron had never thought about Thirteen's life outside of stalking her around. Of course she couldn't speak from experience, but she could safely assume that becoming a vampire was a traumatic experience. Never had she seen a vampire themed movie wherein the change was easy. Life must have been hard on the woman, being forced to live off blood and leave her family behind.

Cameron stopped as she reached the end of the hallway. Life must have been hard, alone for an eternity, with so little people to trust. It made sense for Thirteen to keep an eye on her after she discovered her secret. The brunette might have been infatuated with her, but had to be careful she wasn't going to tell the world about vampires either.

She turned around, watching the restrooms from a distance.

_What am I doing?_ she asked herself. Thirteen still had emotions under that badass exterior. Thirteen had been making an effort to get closer, but all she did was shoot down those hopes. She hadn't done anything awful to her and even apologized for intruding in her work as well. She had to forget about the vampire's first impression and start to think of her as a person with feelings.

With a reaffirming nod, Cameron headed back to the restrooms, but when she opened the door she didn't find anyone in the spotless area.

* * *

Cameron huffed as she made her way through the lobby. She hadn't tried to contact Thirteen after the incident in the bathroom. She wasn't going to call her over just to apologize for not comprehending the finer points of being a vampire. There was no reason to apologize for being human.

But that didn't mean she couldn't bump into her and subtly broach the subject.

She barely reacted when one of the waiting patients folded down their paper. "Did you know that Remy Hadley was one of the fifty victims from the Seattle's slaughter ten years ago?"

Cameron stopped in her tracks and turned to the patient – House. She frowned, pushing aside the possibility that it could've been Thirteen. "I was wondering about the bloodied, decomposing corpse walking around the hospital," she responded, sarcasm evident in her voice.

"It was either that or she used to be a florist." He pretended to resume reading the paper. "She doesn't seem like the girly, flowery type. She's more of the type to drown her unspecified, deeply touching sorrows." He perked up, shooting Cameron a sideways look. "You two are a perfect match!"

Cameron glanced down at her watch. "Are you done?"

"Almost." He flipped a page, his eyes turning back to the paper. "You should wear pants to the Christmas party."

"Why?" She had completely forgotten about that.

"If you both show up in dresses, nobody will know who's the man." He grinned at Cameron's barely suppressed exasperation, but quickly hid his entire upper body behind the paper at something he saw behind the blonde.

Cameron turned to see what caused him to hide. She quickly spotted Cuddy and Thirteen talking to each other. Thirteen looked somewhat sheepish and apologetic while Cuddy rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. The dean seemed to be putting the woman at ease. Cameron's mind immediately jumped to their earlier conversation on how Thirteen should quit her job as a janitor.

Cameron rubbed her forehead. "I'm going home," she said, not waiting for an answer as she walked away.

* * *

Cameron walked across the relatively dark parking lot, absentmindedly avoiding any slippery surfaces as she digested the information she had acquired today. Thirteen was more than just a pretty face with a killer attitude—that much she could handle. But the fact that she probably became a vampire during the Seattle slaughter was a little too interesting for her taste. She could only imagine what had happened.

She steadied herself quickly as her foot slipped over some black ice. Deciding to walk on the snowy part of the road, she let her mind wander again. It might have been an accident, there might have been bargaining, it might have been a sick game, or it might have been an unfortunate girl with the same name as Thirteen. The possibilities were endless.

She really needed to talk to her.

Cameron yelped, finding herself falling backwards after underestimating the slippery snow. Before she could fully grasp what was happening, something less solid than the ground had broken her fall.

"Are you okay?"

Her heart was still pounding as she identified the voice as Thirteen's. Looking down, she saw that the woman had wrapped her arms around from behind. "Yes," she answered shakily, straightening up with the help of steady hands. "Just startled, thank you."

Hands still resting on her sides, she turned around and met with surprisingly intimidating eyes. The hands remained, but neither seemed to mind. Thirteen shot her a crooked half smile, and as charming as it was, it seemed slightly forced. "Be more careful next time."

Cameron watched her more closely. The woman's mysterious nature seemed more pronounced in the dark. The difference in her presence during day and night only added to all the questions that she had for her. But she brushed them aside until they were in more appropriate, less public circumstances. "Were you alright with lunch?" she asked, clearly remembering the self-control the brunette had to muster.

"Yeah. I led an unsuspecting meal into the supply closet." Her smile evened out and became more natural. "Vegetarian non-smoker, I believe."

Cameron nudged her, returning the smile even though she wasn't entirely amused by the joke. "You didn't."

"No." She shook her head, amused. "I'm not allowed."

Cameron raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Is that some sort of… regulation?"

"You could call it that." Thirteen shrugged. The blonde took the finality in her voice as a hint and didn't question further.

She began to shift her weight from one foot to another when she couldn't immediately think of anything else to say, sharp eyes watching her every move.

"I should go," Thirteen finally said, removing her hands.

"No, wait." Cameron grabbed at her sleeves before she could back away. This was her moment. She could apologize, maybe explain her behavior.

Questioning eyes bored into her own.

A car door slammed shut in the distance.

"Do you want to _tell_ me something?" A smile broke through Thirteen's skeptical look. Cameron immediately understood the reference to the last time they were alone on the parking lot.

She huffed, slightly indignant. "Maybe I do."

"Well, I'm all ears."

Cameron watched the other woman's smirk grow. She suddenly started doubting the human emotions behind the impenetrable exterior, but she bit her tongue and reminded herself of her earlier thoughts.

The smug smile melted away as she pulled her down, and she was pretty sure that it had disappeared completely when she pressed a simple kiss to her cheek.

Cameron backed away, confirming her suspicions. She adopted a smile of her own, though considerably more genuine than Thirteen's conceited ones. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah," Thirteen responded. She didn't need much composing, but it still delighted the blonde when she straightened herself out the slightest bit. "Bye."

As Cameron turned around to continue her careful trek to her car, she realized that she hadn't done what she originally intended. With a small yet giddy smile, she shrugged it off, deciding that she liked this new approach to Thirteen far better than any amount of apologizing anyway.

* * *

**So, a few nights ago.  
****Friend: "Would you pay 100 dollars to hear Olivia Wilde say your name?"  
****Me, being a deflecting hypocrite: "What is it with your obsession with Olivia Wilde?!"  
****Friend: "You totally would, wouldn't you?"  
****Me: "… shut up."**

**[/end distraction from doubtful chapter]**

**This chapter took **_**forever**_**. The next update should be real soon though. I might have skipped this chapter because the others were more interesting *awkward cough* I might also be considering twitter to keep you posted on the updates. What do you think? Waste of time, no?**

**Less than 13;** Okay, um, what questions did you want answered? Not that _I _am going to answer them, but I just need to sort out the questions for the next chapters. Hey, there was blood on her hand too. Either she was a messy eater or her hand was involved somehow. Although you now know what happened, so this hint is kind of useless xD  
**Lord Voldemort;** Is it... why yes, it _is_ an email notification in your inbox! Lmao, now I'm picturing Voldemort as Britney Spears' fangirl. Anonymity can be such fun. Let me do my victory dance again until you're positive I'm not one of the actual writers. [dance] I'm not sure if it was your review or not, but your wish is going to be granted. Like, really, really soon. And I don't mean that Chase is going to get lost, haha. If you thought that was hot, I can't wait to hear your opinion on this chapter. [/dance]  
**Ina;** 10 points for the correct elimination of the faulty answer! LOL. God, no, she's not psychic. They do have a blood bond, however, which allowed her to be in the right place at the right time. I'm not sure on the details, but I heard about it… and based half of the fic on it. Whoawhoawhoa. Thirteen can't hear anyone's thoughts. She's just very convincing in an "I already showed you my invitation, remember?" kind of way.


	8. Chapter 8

**The rating changed because they're going to play checkers. Obviously.**

Cameron observed the snowfall wearily, dreading the cold when she had to get out of the car. She had gone to the Christmas party, even arrived fashionably late, but didn't bump into Thirteen at any point of time. She wasn't exactly hurt by it, just slightly disappointed.

Pulling her coat closer around herself and wrapping her scarf around her neck a second time, she flung open the door and got out hastily. She couldn't get inside soon enough when the cold hit her and seeped through her clothing. Locking the car behind her, she jogged over to her building with keys jingling in hand.

"Did you have a good time?" She heard the crunching footsteps, but she was still surprised when she turned around to see Thirteen standing a safe distance away. The brunette was as immobile and composed as usual, but the way she averted her eyes for a split second gave Cameron the impression that she was fidgeting.

She smiled at the nervous gesture, finding it oddly endearing.

Another shiver worked up her spine as a cold wind blew. Without thinking it over, she closed in the distance between them and took Thirteen's arm, dragging her towards the front door. She fumbled with her keys, briefly meeting Thirteen's questioning look. "It's freezing. We'll talk inside."

Thirteen nodded slowly, holding out her hand to catch a few snowflakes.

Cameron glanced down at the hand after finally getting the door open, silently amazed at how the flakes didn't melt on impact. The way Thirteen managed to make closing her hand look almost nostalgic pulled at the blonde's heartstrings. As she took the taller woman's arm again and tugged her inside, warming herself up seemed like the last thing on her mind. "Lets get you warm."

"I don't mind the cold," Thirteen protested, following Cameron obediently.

"Maybe not physically," Cameron said, letting the rest of the sentence die on her lips when she noticed Thirteen's head dip down ever so slightly. She didn't stop moving until they were inside her apartment and she was safe to take off her coat.

"You look amazing," Thirteen commented, giving her a once over. Cameron looked down at her dress, coat still in hand.

"Thank you." She smiled shyly, barely able to keep eye contact while the other woman looked at her with such appreciation. "Why didn't you come to the party? You were invited, weren't you?" she asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

"People would expect me to dance, maybe eat, but definitely drink," she answered simply, finally looking Cameron in the eye.

"Oh, come on, you must be a wonderful dancer," she tried, smiling encouragingly. With the way she made walking look like an art form, dancing should be a piece of cake for her.

"It would require touching," Thirteen explained, but when she was met with a not quite understanding look she raised her hand and rested the tips of her fingers on the doctor's cheek. Unprepared for its freezing touch, Cameron flinched back. Thirteen bared her teeth at the reaction and whirled around with a frustrated sigh turned quiet growl.

Cameron could only look on uncomprehendingly as Thirteen stormed off into the bedroom, practically ripping off her jacket while she was at it. After a second or two to gather her thoughts, she threw her coat over the back of the couch and went after her. She was just in time to see the displeased frown before Thirteen yanked off her shirt as well. Her bare back disappeared into the bathroom. Cameron didn't bother to compose herself before following her into the bathroom. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Thirteen asked, leaning into the shower to turn on the hot water.

It was a definite sensory overload for Cameron to see the other woman in only her jeans and bra. The daring ensembles the brunette usually wore suddenly seemed so trivial, doing nothing to emphasize the perfect, lean form underneath. It took another few seconds for Cameron to realize what she was going to do.

She reached forward to stop Thirteen from unbuttoning her jeans, as unnatural as it felt to keep her from stripping down those unflattering clothes, and looked up into expectant eyes. The freezing cold of her hands burned into her skin. She wanted to tell her how it was a good thing how cold she was, that it would make waiting until the unnatural attraction wore off all the more easier. If only it didn't feel like she would be rubbing salt into her wounds. The situation was exceedingly distracting too, and Thirteen's words kept echoing in her mind.

"_Love is a chemical reaction too. Do you wait until that's over before you act? You can dump my sorry ass if you're done with me, but right now I know that I want this."_

Love is a chemical reaction too.

Cameron swallowed, Thirteen's overwhelmingly indescribable scent hitting her and finally pushing her over the edge. She had regretted falling in love in the past, but it made her what she was today. She wasn't going to be scarred for life if she acted on this crazy insistent impulse for as long as it lasted. She wanted it even before they slept together.

She really, really wanted it.

Thirteen's lips parted and her eyes widened as she was pushed in the direction of the shower, not given the chance to take off her jeans. Warm water had barely been beating down on her when Cameron leaned in and claimed her lips. She was confused as to what the blonde wanted from her, seeing how she had initiated a scorching kiss before but didn't want to push further than that. She didn't need to be coaxed twice, however, when one of her limp hands was guided to the heavenly flesh of Cameron's chest.

Cameron gasped as the cold tiles of the wall hit her back, a mouth quickly following, swallowing the breath she released. It didn't take long for tongues to meet in an eerily familiar dance. The slowly warming water that cascaded down on them made it nearly impossible for her to keep her eyes open, but she didn't need them to tangle her hands in soaking brown hair.

It was hard to tell who made what delighted sound when relatively cold hands came into contact with the naked skin of the blonde's breast. Cameron had a hard time forming thoughts, only able to whimper in exuberance as the contrast of cool flesh against her flushed one made all kinds of pleasant quivers run across her skin. She was distantly aware that Thirteen must have found the zipper or simply ripped the dress for her convenience.

Only when breathing became difficult did the mouth disappear, trailing hungry kisses down her jaw and over her neck, the path downwards made slick by the insistent spray of water. Cameron struggled to breathe, eager to have Thirteen reach the finer points of her anatomy, oblivious to how she was lingering at her pulse point. She bit her lip as she attempted to tug the brunette down.

Thirteen looked up, becoming almost delirious at the sight of blond hair in a state of humid disarray, sheer desire dripping from her expression. She continued to worship the smooth expanse of warmth in front of her, careful not to break any skin as she passed her teeth over extremely responsive flesh. The impatient beats of Cameron's heart vibrated against her teeth, resonating almost painfully through her entire form.

Cameron arched into the touch, letting out a soundless cry, unaware of how her dress had pooled at her feet. At this point all thoughts of being vulnerable, human, and unnaturally attracted had washed away, the other body gradually losing its supernatural coolness.

Unable to postpone any longer, Thirteen trailed her hands along the blonde's sides until they were resting on top of the remaining article of clothing. She fell to her knees and leaned in, resuming her kisses to her waist as she pulled down the undergarment. Had she not been so attracted or deprived of intimate contact, she would've taken her sweet time memorizing every bit of skin, every subtle movement, every sound, every imperfection. As it was, she had to restrain herself from devouring the woman and any delay was welcome.

She felt her features slacken as the full force of Cameron's scent hit her, and, despite her resolution to take things slower, descended upon her prey. First contact with velvet, hot, wet flesh sent a shudder of bliss through Thirteen, who started to explore the woman's center with her tongue in earnest.

"Thirteen," Cameron hissed, her head meeting the tiles as she threw her head back. The pain was barely existent compared to how emotions were running rampant through her. She had never felt so alive, skin aflame and electrified all at the same time. She had always been used to things being manageable to some extent, so when she experienced the onslaught of feelings she was undergoing now, she was swept off her feet properly.

Thirteen decidedly ignored the outburst and the hands that tightened in her hair, continuing her efforts unhindered, completely absorbed in the searing wet heat in front of her.

"Remy." Cameron could only manage a whisper, but was sure that the other woman had heard. It didn't take much active brain cells for her to know she would be able to hear her if she usually eavesdropped from halfway across the hospital. "Get up."

Cameron moaned throatily when the brunette grazed her teeth against exceptionally sensitive flesh, and shuddered with fear and excitement as the thought of Thirteen's instincts became coherent. She didn't know how long Thirteen had been busy with her, didn't know how much longer her legs would hold her, but she was sure she wasn't going to last any longer with how she was working all the right places so thoroughly.

Thirteen moved up, reluctantly leaving Cameron's core when another insistent tug pulled at her. Once on her feet, she wasted no time in complying to the blonde's wishes, recapturing lips in another heated kiss.

Cameron dropped her hands to Thirteen's shoulders. She relished in the feel of the brunette's slick skin, but realized the flaw in her plan when pleasure seeped from her body. The woman seemed intent on fixing that, however, and she balanced herself correctly when Thirteen lifted her up by the thighs, wrapping them around her waist. At the feel of wet cloth against her legs, Cameron was slightly disappointed that she hadn't given Thirteen the time to take off her jeans. Though disappointment was the last thing she could remember to feel when a hand trailed the inside of her thigh.

Thirteen grit her teeth in self-restraint. The woman in her arms continued the delicious torture on her senses, issuing forth sounds that made her blood run warm. Her heartbeat dangerously loud, skin slick and tempting, nails digging into her shoulders desperately.

A cry escaped Cameron as a piercing pain shot from her neck to the core of her being. Just before it started to blaze, it turned into shocking numbness and euphoria. Her climax ripped through her and tore her apart, kept her in pieces until her chest burned and breathing became a necessity. Panting, the world seeped back into her consciousness as the meek lapping at her neck brought her shattered body back together.

Just as she had reality back in her grasp, it slipped through her fingers again, darkness swallowing her whole.

* * *

Cameron woke up in the most comfortable of places: something warm and soft, maybe a cloud.

She pried her eyes open, managing to be surprised when she wasn't met with a blue sky and wasn't actually floating around on something white and fluffy. Trying to keep the disorientation under control, she determined that she was lying in bed. If she was in bed, then Thirteen had to be close by as well.

"Remy?" Turning onto her side, she groped blindly for the other woman. There was nothing there.

Cameron was positively drained, so when she realized that Thirteen was nowhere near her, she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping for what seemed the millionth time that it was all a dream or an hallucination. She couldn't handle the brunette ditching her after having her for a midnight snack – in every sense of the word.

She couldn't figure out if the warmth that ran down her cheeks were tears or not, because soon the darkness had enveloped her once more.

* * *

**Update McSpeedy!**

**Let's get this straight (haha, straight). Everything is much more intense with their blood bond, as you might have noticed. And… well, that's pretty much it. Just thought I'd clear that up. Also, this chapter is sad for me. I ate the last cinnamon star for the rest of the year as I wrote this. Damn those tasty Christmas goodies.**

**For any of you who got through these 7 deeply meaningful sentences, you may or may not be interested in stalking my twitter: plushpandas. Yes, with an S at the end. I'll keep you posted on chapter updates and other totally unrelated stuff.**


	9. Chapter 9

Cameron stared at the opposite wall dully, still lying in bed. She had been expecting any possible negative outcomes, but that didn't prepare her for feeling so used. There had been a tiny part of her that had hoped that it would turn out okay, that Thirteen would at least be there when she woke up in the morning.

And then there was the issue of the scar in her neck she would no doubt end up having.

She trailed a hand over her smooth neck, down to her unscathed shoulder. Frowning, she did the same to the other side of her neck, going over every bit of skin. There were no traces of the gaping wound she should have had.

"Are you hurting?"

Cameron jumped out of her skin when she felt the bed dip at the same time that Thirteen leaned over her. The urge to smack the brunette for pulling another disappearing trick on her with the worst possible timing was quickly suppressed when she met with worried eyes. "No," she answered meekly, trying to gather her thoughts.

Thirteen let out a relieved sigh, proceeding to get under the covers. Even though the woman was fully dressed in some black sweatpants and a plain long-sleeved shirt, Cameron still expected her touch to be cold. With herself wearing next to nothing, she began to become anxious about the incoming cold.

"Wait!" Cameron pushed Thirteen away by the shoulders before she could touch her. The flesh underneath the shirt was pleasant to the touch. "You're… warm?"

Thirteen smiled, getting closer to wrap her arms around the smaller woman.

"You're really warm," Cameron confirmed even as she was manhandled into lying on top of the brunette. She was greeted with the drilling of the construction site workers down the street as she rested her ear against Thirteen's chest. Thankfully, it stopped as soon as one of them spoke.

"Did you sleep well?" Warm hands trailed along her back slowly, contently.

This snapped Cameron out of her pacified state.

"Where the hell did you go last night?" she demanded, raising herself so she could look Thirteen in the eye. Thirteen met her unamused look unflinchingly, but the lack of an immediate answer was enough to unsettle her.

"You were awake?"

"Where did you go?" she repeated, not going to let it drop until she received a proper answer. "Do I have to tell you how hurt I was when I realized you weren't there after what you did to me?"

Thirteen's eyes softened in comprehension. "Sorry." She glanced to the side purposefully. If she had been human, Cameron would have thought it a normal nervous reflex, but Thirteen did not do obvious nervousness. Following her glance, she saw an unfamiliar thick blanket lying in the corner. It almost looked like an electrically heated blanket.

Something clicked in Cameron's mind.

"Oh," she uttered, a grin slowly working up her lips at the thought of Thirteen going out of her way to stay warm for her. The brunette watched her warily, no doubt awaiting some demeaning talk about how cute it was. But now that she knew what had happened, Cameron was too lazy to confront her about it. Lying back down, she figured that she could mention it another time when she wanted to turn down Thirteen's badass image a few notches.

The construction workers set to working again as she stretched her stiff muscles, brushing up against Thirteen's clothed form. Now that she was warm to the touch, Cameron almost found herself regretting that she was the only one in a state of undress.

Oh, who was she kidding? The fabric was obstructing and – despite a voice in the back of her mind scolding her for thinking it – Thirteen looked much, much better naked.

She was about to set her plan to get rid of Thirteen's clothes in motion, when she realized that the construction workers had finished their job a few days ago. Eyes widening as she placed the sound, she pushed herself off the other woman so she could see her face. Thirteen looked up at her hesitantly, almost afraid of what she might say. "Are you _purring_?"

Another wavering look. "No."

Cameron smiled, figuring she could test her theory. She arched into the brunette, imitating her previous stretch, and leaned in to kiss her softly. The quiet rumble started again when Thirteen reciprocated the kiss, matching the unhurried motion. It was so subtle, Cameron would've missed it if her ear hadn't been pressed to the woman's chest earlier. She broke away, smiling brightly. "I didn't know you could be disgustingly cute as well," she whispered affectionately.

Thirteen rolled her eyes, smiling despite herself. "Just keep it to yourself."

Still feeling slightly out of it, Cameron let her smile drop and lay back down. "What did you do to me?"

"I'm sorry," Thirteen replied reluctantly, pressing a kiss to her temple. "I only took a little." She sighed silently. "You taste _so good_, you have no idea."

Cameron felt her face heat up at the strange compliment, unable to imagine how the coppery fluid could make someone so ecstatic. She refused to believe that Thirteen was talking about _other_ things. "How old are you?" she asked, veering away from her current thoughts.

"A few years older than you are." Thirteen breathed softy into Cameron's hair. Assuming that she was talking about her total age instead of her human age (because she certainly didn't look older), the blonde immediately thought back to House's conversation.

"Were you in Seattle ten years ago?" she asked carefully.

Thirteen dropped her head back onto the pillow, the action somewhat exasperated. "You've been researching me, haven't you?"

"House was." Cameron tilted her head up slightly, even though she wasn't able to see the other woman's face like that. "He thought you were more likely to be a survivor of the Seattle Slaughter than a florist."

Thirteen turned her head away, forcing Cameron to slide onto the bed so that she could see her expression as she lay next to her. They watched each other for a moment: Thirteen impassive, Cameron trying to read her expression.

"If you're serious about us, you'll have to let me in." When she received no particular reaction, she trailed her fingers along Thirteen's jaw and over her lips. The gesture bore no meaning. She only touched because she could. Her eyes were focused on the gesture as she spoke. "Not now, of course, but eventually."

She was just in time to catch Thirteen's eyes softening as she looked up. "I was in Seattle ten years ago," she said eventually. Cameron expected her to continue, but all she did was turn onto her side so she faced the blonde entirely.

"Is that when you…?" she probed gently.

Cameron didn't see how Thirteen moved, just knew that she did and had her trapped beneath her with the swift – mostly unnaturally graceful – movement. The woman was now straddling her hips, oddly enough managing to keep the sheets in place so that they were both covered. "Why do you want to know?" There was suspicion in her eyes, but also something that told Cameron that she wasn't trying to intimidate her on purpose.

"I want to know what makes you tick," she answered quietly. Maybe tick wasn't the most strategic word in existence, but it got her point across. The apartment's cold air alerted her to the space between the brunette and herself. Feeling slightly uncomfortable with being exposed to Thirteen, she wrapped her arms around the woman and pulled her in until she no longer felt awkward. When she saw the look Thirteen was giving her, she realized what her actions must have looked like to the other woman.

"Then yes, that was when I…" She purposely didn't finish her sentence, grinning at the conscious attempt of mimicking Cameron.

It became Cameron's turn to be suspicious. Their faces were very close to each other, and if she knew Thirteen enough by now, that relaxed look meant that she didn't want there to be any space between them – at all.

"Are you ashamed of what you did last night?" The words had left her mouth before she had even formed the thought. It seemed like the only explanation for Thirteen to withhold herself. She wasn't sure whether she regretted asking the question when the woman's expression went back to being composed.

"No," she said, sounding as if she had to force the answer. It was remarkable since she always seemed so unperturbed by everything. Her eyebrows dipped down in what looked like frustration. "I wasn't supposed to do that."

Cameron frowned, confused. "Which usually comes down to shame."

Thirteen shook her head, her eyes trailing down to the blonde's neck. "If I could go back, I would do it again." Cameron started to squirm slightly under the hungry gaze. Thankfully, Thirteen raised her eyes back to her face. "I'm not allowed to bite anyone, even if they beg me for it."

"The regulation," Cameron mused out loud, thinking she understood.

"A restriction," Thirteen corrected, watching the doctor's face carefully. Cameron wasn't sure whether it was the uncomprehending look she must have been sporting, or the fact that Thirteen really wanted to tell her, but she explained herself. "In my younger days I didn't really stay under the radar," she said cryptically. "If I had been a few years younger when I first saw you in the bathroom, alone, the scent of your blood rich in the air, I wouldn't have hesitated to jump you."

Cameron's mouth had dropped open slightly at the explanation. She remembered the first time she met the undead woman. It was the first time she had had a heart attack after something so stunningly beautiful had crept up on her. At that time she hadn't thought much of their encounter, however. Was that tiny pinprick of blood really enough to tempt her?

"I'm banned from feeding directly on humans until she is convinced that I have learned how to be discreet," she explained. "But even I have a limit to my self-restraint." She leaned in ever so slightly as her eyes misted over. Cameron wanted to know who 'she' was, but her question died on her lips when Thirteen leaned in to kiss her gently.

Cameron was helpless to return the kiss, thoughts about 'her' slipping away from her as she moved her lips languorously against Thirteen's slightly cooler ones.

"Are you hungry?" Thirteen mumbled.

"What?"

"Your stomach is growling."

"Oh."

* * *

Cameron let out a breath through clenched teeth.

"Are you okay?" Thirteen asked, at her side in the matter of seconds.

Cameron sat on the ground, holding her foot after she had walked into the edge of an open door. The pain that shot up her leg was agonizing—or, well, it _felt_ agonizing. She knew for a fact that there were more awful things than simply bumping your toes into a hard surface. That was beside the point, however. She hadn't been watching the way Thirteen practically sashayed into the kitchen like some hormonal teenager, thereby losing focus of her surroundings. Not at all. It was the angle of the light. It had been shining in her eyes and—

"You're bleeding."

Cameron removed her hand from her foot, daring to move her toes to see if she had cut herself or broken anything. Now that was an embarrassing thought: breaking something because she'd been too busy ogling her girlfriend. The pain subsided slowly. Nothing was broken and nothing appeared to be bleeding. "I don't see anything," she said hesitantly, trusting Thirteen's superior senses a lot more than her own simple, human ones.

"Not there," Thirteen said calmly, taking Cameron's wrist and upturning her hand to reveal a barely bleeding cut in her palm. The blonde frowned, looking up at the door for any potential sharp points she could have cut herself with. There was a slightly unscrewed screw in the door opening.

"Whoa! What are you doing?" Cameron protested, attempting to pull back her hand from Thirteen's iron grip as she drew it closer to her face. From the way she appeared barely troubled, Cameron decided that Thirteen wasn't purposely keeping an iron grip on her wrist. She let out a relieved sigh when the brunette withheld from doing anything unholy to the cut.

Thirteen's impossible clear blue eyes bore into Cameron's own. "Trust me."

Cameron visibly hesitated, and when she didn't resist Thirteen's next attempt to bring the cut to her mouth, the older woman took it as permission to do what she wanted.

Cameron had expected it to sting, for the lips to be unpleasantly cold, so when the wet tongue grazed her skin, she was surprised at the comfortable numbness that spread over the palm of her hand. It felt like dipping her hand in lukewarm ice. That in itself was impossible, but so was having a vampire licking her scrape.

"Mmm," Thirteen rumbled contently. Cameron had to bite the inside of her cheek when Thirteen wrapped her lips around the tiny wound and started sucking, sending tingles up her arm and down her back.

"Remy?" she asked, getting somewhat uncomfortable at her apparent pleasure. She became slightly worried when it looked like Thirteen hadn't heard her, but eventually she pulled back, a dazed look in her eyes. Cameron flexed her unscathed hand. She raised her hand to inspect it up close. There was no cut anymore. Her eyes widened in understanding. She didn't have a permanent scar in her neck because Thirteen's saliva had a healing effect of some kind.

Cameron didn't have the time to come up with crazy applications for the little miracle, because Thirteen had already pushed away her hand – along with her thoughts – and had leaned in to capture a hungry kiss.

"I want you," Thirteen demanded in between kisses. Cameron could only melt as she was coerced into a lying position. There was a part in her that knew she should be protesting or at least put up the pretense of protesting, but Thirteen was just so _persuasive_ with her—her—

Cameron's hand was being guided down Thirteen's stomach.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

**I was dead for a while and had to wait for someone to find my body, break down, and decide that they would summon some ancient God to revive me. And now here I am! Not sure for how long, because University is murdering me.**

**Next chapter: House comments on Cameron's shiny hair and Chase gets Thirteen's groove on. **

**Yes, you read that right. **

**Vampire reference time! I've read/seen a lot about vampires, but I haven't just used one type for this story. I'll name anything that comes to mind, because I'm sure it all influenced Thirteen in this fic. The biggest influence is by far: Vampire the Masquerade. Then there is Twilight, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Blade, Hellsing, Underworld, True Blood… and a crapload of unrelated-to-the-fic stuff.**

**Ps. 42.**

**Dark angel; W**ell, I'm glad you liked the first sentence… and hopefully the rest as well, haha.  
**Ina; **The fastness of the previous chapter had to compensate for my death. LOL. Well, it was mind-numbing. Quite literally so. Did I answer some questions this time? I know I created some other questions with the introduction of "her," but she's unimportant. For the moment. And she chose Cameron because she was the most likely to give her the blood because of her compassion. I wanted to work that in, but am unable to.  
**Wonderous;** You had some good ideas regarding the details. I would've worked them in if I didn't have to catch my bus in 10 minutes.


	10. Chapter 10

Cameron and Foreman were waiting for Chase to return from the bathroom in awkward silence. Foreman had resorted to reading some old magazine for the second time and Cameron mainly tried to keep her thoughts work related. It was the first day of work after the Christmas party and House hadn't shown up yet.

"Am I boring?" Foreman asked out of nowhere, putting away the magazine after several failed attempts to care about reading articles another time.

Cameron snapped out of her thoughts, almost feeling caught as she realized that she had been massaging the back of her neck absentmindedly. "What?"

"Am I boring?" he repeated, shooting Cameron a questioning look.

On the one hand, Cameron could lie and save their friendship; on the other hand, Cameron could tell the truth and endanger their non-existent friendship.

"You're not exactly stimulating," she said, impatiently watching the hallway for Chase's return. This conversation had taken a very strange turn.

Foreman gave no apparent reaction to the answer, and turned to watch the hallway as well. Cameron's conscience slowly started to gnaw at her.

"Some people like a steady basis like that," she offered reluctantly, tapping her fingers on the back of her neck. What the hell was Chase doing? He had better be saving a life or two on the way to the bathroom.

"You don't have to reassure me." He frowned, turning his attention back to Cameron. She looked at his unimpressed features for a moment before going back to watching the hallway.

"House!" she exclaimed, almost sounding eager.

House strode into the room, ignoring Cameron's outburst as he dumped his backpack and threw a file onto the table. "52 year old man…" He trailed off as he watched the blonde leaf through the file enthusiastically. "You've slept with him," he stated, sounding somewhat surprised about it.

Cameron shot him a disgusted look. "That's just unrealistic."

House looked down at the file, then rolled his eyes. "Not him, Chase. Your hair radiates Pantene commercial like you've just spent the entire weekend having hot, steamy—"

"House," she warned sternly, even as memories of a rather interesting shower flooded her mind.

"Shampooing sessions," he finished dryly. Of course he had to take notice of her flushing cheeks as well, but before he could comment on it, someone else had already interrupted him.

"Shampoo?" Chase asked, letting the door behind him fall shut as he joined them. Not a minute too late either. The look on House's face predicted embarrassing questions or metaphors, so Cameron could only forgive Chase for applying the Heimlich on choking kids while she had been stuck with Foreman.

"We were just discussing Cameron's active shampoo life," House explained, quickly scanning Chase for any telltale signs. Cameron rolled her eyes in the background. "She's really been rinsing," he added unnecessarily.

Chase glanced around the room suspiciously. "What?"

"He thinks you and Cameron had sex," Foreman supplied.

"Around…" House took on a thoughtful expression as he studied Chase, making the 'so-so' gesture with his hand. "Right after the Christmas party." Cameron tried not to let her surprise show. She knew that leaving with Chase to go to an after party was a mistake. Though House thinking that she was dating Chase was a lot less bad than him knowing she had been with Thirteen.

Chase frowned at the accusation, but figured out what to say after a quick glance in Cameron's direction. The blonde was glowing, however subtle it was. Up until then, he didn't think people could actually glow, but then maybe it was House's hints that made him think that. Whatever the case, it could only mean she must've had a private party with the janitor. "We went to Lorraine's after party. Cameron went home after, what, half an hour?" He threw a questioning glance in Cameron's direction.

She shrugged, not entirely sure. "Alone," she added quickly. There was no way House could put together the pieces. She never even thought of Thirteen in the man's presence.

House looked at nothing in particular as he contemplated the events. Cameron wouldn't have been glowing if she had a one-night stand, and it was apparent that Chase knew more than he was letting on. But then Cameron didn't have any trace of Chase's aftershave on her. In fact, she smelled very, very—

House did his best to keep his poker face as he came to a conclusion. Quickly deciding on a course of action, he took a step back and elbowed the lamp behind him. The glass shattered as it hit the ground. "Oops," he said dryly, pulling off his best innocent look. Nobody bought it. "Somebody better call maintenance."

Cameron sighed quietly. She should've known that her mere presence would give something away.

* * *

"This is useless," Chase said, flipping through yet another file. Both he and Cameron were sitting in diagnostics, going through a pile of folders. "It's the end of the day. Why are we searching for another patient?"

"I'm sure House has a reason for leaving us alone in the same room," she replied, raising her eyebrows meaningfully at him. Earlier that day, Cameron had bravely waited for maintenance and whatever jokes House had up his sleeves, but was pleasantly surprised when Edgar showed up instead of Thirteen. She had been wondering who the guy was after Thirteen told her he had been pestering her about lunch. She had expected Edgar to be an attractive high school dropout, not some middle-aged, married family man. He had been surprisingly friendly and warm during the cleanup and House's obvious disappointment.

"Maybe you should just tell them." Chase dropped the folder he was holding and gave Cameron a pointed look. "For the greater good of the hospital equipment," he added with a smile.

Cameron shook her head and kept skimming over possible symptoms, smiling to herself. "Remy already quit. She'll be gone in three weeks."

"You realize three weeks is all it takes, right?" he asked, mirroring her attitude and going back to searching for a patient. "I'll bet you lunch that he manages to unveil you two after less than a week."

"Coffee," she offered, lowering the bet because odds were they were going to be unveiled in less than a week. Chase smirked but said nothing of it.

"You're on." He threw his file on the discard pile and grabbed another one. "So how are you and Jan doing?"

"Marvelous," Cameron answered distractedly, her attention mostly lost to the folder in her hands.

"Had enough pointless sex yet?" he added in, somehow managing to sound careful and stinging at the same time. If Chase hadn't had the right intentions, she would have snapped at him for being a jerk and stormed off to let him do the rest of the work. As it was, she was perfectly able to ignore his comment.

"No, not yet," she answered plainly. She tilted her head, tapping a pen to her lips as she mulled over the symptoms. She might have to explain a few things if Thirteen was listening, but she'd deal with that later. "Damn, hypothermia," she exclaimed suddenly, throwing her file on the discard pile as well. When she looked up at Chase, he was in the process of stuffing the earplugs of his iPod in his ears. She shrugged and grabbed another file.

* * *

A little while into the pointless search, Cameron noticed Chase's head bobbing to the music. She smiled in amusement, watching him out of the corner of her eyes. That was when she noticed a figure in the hallway through the blinds, dragging along a bucket on wheels and a mop. Her attention span decreased exponentially when she saw that it was Thirteen. The brunette wasn't wearing her usual uniform however, looking about ready to head home instead. She was dressed in jeans, and beneath her leather jacket she was wearing an olive turtleneck.

Cameron swallowed, raising the papers she was holding so that they were vertically in front of her, making pretending to be reading the papers much easier. As she pondered the fact that Thirteen sure had a diverse wardrobe, the brunette turned to smile at her, then proceeded to mop up a rather large puddle of spilt coffee. When the coffee had happened, she didn't know, but she was grateful for the distraction.

Cameron found the ordinary act surprisingly fascinating. The way Thirteen moved was so human and yet so coordinated and smooth and the same time. Cameron knew she was staring and enjoying herself way too much when Thirteen's hips started to sway slightly. What took her a moment to realize was that the woman was dancing.

Cameron glanced over at Chase, making sure he wasn't aware of her conspicuous behavior. Sure enough, he was still engrossed in whatever song he was listening to as he leafed through yet another case of what would no doubt be nothing serious.

Her eyes focused on the swaying Thirteen again. She smiled, putting two and two together. "What are you listening to?" she asked Chase. He picked up his iPod and took a look.

"Something something Shanghai." He looked up at Cameron. "It's sort of catchy for a wannabe oriental song with practically no lyrics."

She did her best not to go back to staring at Thirteen, who had started to move rather sensually. "Can I hear?"

"Hold on, it's almost done." He pressed a select button, then handed her the iPod and earplugs. She took the device, and after a little fiddling with the wire, listened to the song. It was indeed as Chase had described. The same sentence was repeated over and over again to some electro-oriental music on the background. It sure explained Thirteen's tantalizing movements.

"It is catchy," she lied smoothly. "Can I listen for it a little longer?"

He shrugged, and she went back to pretending to be engrossed in a file. With audio, it was a lot more interesting to watch Thirteen dance. Cameron felt her cheeks warm at the visual of the brunette's hips moving suggestively, the amused, teasing glint in her eyes not going past her. She was sure that anyone else would look ridiculous if they danced with a mop, of all things. But Thirteen had a way of making simple things look like an art form, and right now, as she brushed the lower half of her torso ever so subtly against the pole, eyes shooting her a look that could only be interpreted as hungry, she really wished that she wasn't stuck there with Chase.

She could make a killing if she taped it and sold it on Ebay.

Cameron looked down at the file she was holding, trying to regain her composure. It was getting increasingly hard to think of mops as unsexy objects after what she just witnessed. Giving up rather soon, she looked up again, only to be sadly disappointed when there was no Thirteen. She didn't have the time to wonder where she went off to so suddenly, because the next moment House was hobbling into diagnostics with a phone in his hands.

Chase looked up from his work, giving House a strange look as he proceeded to call someone. "What are you doing?"

Cameron took out the earplugs and waited eagerly for his answer.

"I'm mowing the lawn. What does it look like I'm doing?" House shot back with a roll of his eyes. "Sorry, wrong number," he said into the phone, hanging up before calling another number.

Cameron jumped slightly when her mobile rang. She reached for her phone thoughtlessly, bringing it out to see that Remy was calling her. Her eyes widened in understanding. She turned her attention to the man to confirm her suspicions. By the way he was grinning and how her cell stopped ringing after he hung up, she could pretty much guess what he was doing.

"Well, AB, looks like you'll need to give our resident GG a lesson in spelling as well as her mobile." House threw over the phone, and Cameron only barely caught it with an unglamorous, jerky motion. She took a look at the screen to see what House was talking about, and saw that her number was indeed labeled as AB. An unprecedented anger bubbled up inside her at the nickname.

Chase frowned in incomprehension, completely oblivious to Cameron's state of mind. "Who?"

"Greek Goddess," he explained, his voice taking on a conspiring tone. "I was going for DS, but I don't want to be sued for sexual harassment."

The phone hitting the table with a loud clang drew their attention back to Cameron. "I don't know where she lives, and I don't ever see her," she said curtly, her anger barely concealed. With the tone she used, she might as well have said she never wanted to see the janitor again.

"It's a good thing her record isn't lying on my desk," he said, already moving for the exit. "In case you do want to not see her," he added, stopping near the door to shoot her an exaggerated wink. After he left, Cameron was left to glare at the cell. Chase fumbled with the file in his hands.

"Do you want to not see her?" he asked somewhat curiously.

"No," she answered after some thought.

"Not even to not resolve this tension that's really not obvious?"

Cameron turned her glare on Chase, who looked down at his papers at the sheer displeasure in her stare. "I thought you were against us?"

"I am," he said simply, flipping a page. "I'm all for you going over there and realizing that she can't even spell your name right because she's not interested in you."

She clenched her jaw, looking down at the mobile. Thirteen hadn't misspelled her name. She had spelled out her blood type perfectly.

* * *

**I have no idea what Cameron's blood type is. In fact, this (long, boring) chapter wasn't what I had in mind at all. Blame my studies for killing my brain.**

**Of all the people reading my fic, nobody figured out that I meant Chase was going to make Thirteen **_**dance**_**. LOL. I mean, seriously, have I ever hinted towards Chaseteen? *gag* Anyhow. Anyone fancy an illustration to go with this chapter?**

**Ps. If I haven't replied to your review, sorry, my inbox is a mess.  
****Ppss. My beta was ill and I was buried beneath a mountain of papers, tests and other school related cra—stuff.**


	11. Prank chapter

Cameron folded her arms over her chest tightly, glancing around the dark street. There was a group of thugs standing on the street corner, talking about something she didn't want to hear, a nightclub that was attracting the wrong kind of people, and bums lazing about every few feet, begging for a coin or two. She could only hope that Thirteen heard her cries of distress if was pulled into a dark alley. It would just figure that she'd get murdered just because she wanted to return the mobile to the taller woman.

Okay, maybe she wanted to blow up in her face about being labeled as AB as well.

She pulled out the scrap of paper with Thirteen's address, then looked around some more. Ever thankful to whatever God was out there that the Skyline apartments billboard was lit up like it was the only decent place around, she headed for the entrance.

Which she could only get to if she crossed the creepy, dark alley with entirely too much dumpsters, trash and rodents.

_Shit._

Bracing herself for a curt walk through the alleyway that practically spelled out impending doom, she cursed whatever architect that designed this for thinking it was a practical entrance and kept out a watchful eye as she entered the alley.

"Hello there, pretty lady," a throaty voice called to her. It only took three steps into an dark alleyway. That had to be a record of some kind.

Cameron looked up and kept up a slower pace as she made her way to the entrance, figuring that keeping an eye on the man (ie. rapist) _and_ walking away was the best option. Dark eyes leered at her from beneath a mop of unruly, dark hair.

"What are we doing out here at this time of hour, _all alone?_" With the way he emphasized the last few words, Cameron knew she should have taken her chances and run away. He slithered closer, and she inched away subtly.

When he didn't stop advancing, she blurted, "I'm here for Thirteen."

He laughed menacingly and pushed her against the wall with one swift motion. Cameron was surprised she immediately hit the wall instead of tumbling backwards onto the floor. Apparently, he had intimidated her closer to the wall. That was entirely besides the point, however, because the next thing she knew he was pressing up against her. "Aren't we all?" he breathed, his words reeking of garlic.

Before Cameron could consider which part of his anatomy she was going to kick, a bloodcurdling growl resounded through the alleyway. The man was yanked from his feet and thrown against a dumpster like a rag doll. She got one last glance of his head lolling upwards as he slid down to the floor before a familiar olive shirt blocked her view. "You keep your paws off her, Rodriguez," Thirteen snarled. Cameron couldn't see her face, but her tone was more than enough to intimidate even her. "We don't want a repeat of Carlos."

"You won't hurt me." Rodriguez pulled himself to his feet and smiled crookedly. "I'm immune," he sniggered, lifting his arms to present himself.

Thirteen took a few resolute steps forward. "Do you really want to test that theory?"

He stepped back on instinct, bumping against the dumpster. His upper lip drew back into a sneer. "Bitch," he hissed, then stumbled his way out of the alley.

Cameron finally felt like she could breathe again when Thirteen turned around, despite the clearly annoyed frown that marred her face. "Remy—"

"Shut up," she snapped, making Cameron cringe. Without explaining her mood, she closed in the distance between them and picked the blonde up effortlessly. "Close your eyes," she ordered, refusing to make eye contact.

Cameron did as she was told, afraid to further piss off the brunette. There was a slight breeze, and then she was being put down again in living room. The open balcony to her left revealed to her that they were now on the second floor.

Thirteen gave her a painfully blank look before turning around and seating herself in the only recliner that occupied the room. Cameron watched in somewhat stupefied silence as the other woman picked up what looked like to be a bottle of blood from the table and proceeded to drink some of the contents. The brunette didn't seem to care about the leather of her recliner, because she leaned back and pulled up her legs to rest her chucks on the edge of the seating. The smaller woman didn't like the air of nonchalance Thirteen was sporting. Something felt off.

Remembering why she came over in the first place, she pulled out Thirteen's cell phone and threw it in her direction. Even though the woman looked wholly unprepared for the action, she still managed to catch the device without removing her eyes from Cameron.

"Huh, House must've taken it from my locker," Thirteen said, briefly looking over her mobile before throwing it onto the couch. She took another sip, watching how Cameron was silently seething.

"That's all you have to say?" Cameron asked, making an effort not to let it come out through gritted teeth. "Don't try to tell me you didn't stick around to hear what House had to say."

"I didn't," she answered simply, licking any excess blood from her teeth.

Cameron grimaced at the lack of interest behind her answer. "It's good to see you care as much about me as Chase implied," she spat, turning around with the intention of leaving the place. Not a few seconds later, Thirteen had appeared in front of her. Instead of standing perfectly still like she usually did, she wobbled slightly in place from the speed with which she moved.

"Don't talk to me about who cares how much," she said in a dangerously low voice, completely ignoring her lack of composure. Cameron thought she could even detect a slight slur in her voice. "I… I hate Chase," she added, pointing a finger at the blonde's chest as she squinted slightly.

Cameron frowned, torn between wondering what the hell had gotten into Thirteen and biting back. "He has nothing to do with this!" Her built up frustration vetoed any compassion. She swatted away the woman's hand. To her surprise, Thirteen actually lowered her hand. "You are the one who used me for a midnight snack."

"I might as well, since my life is filled with _pointless sex_," she shot back, getting in the blonde's face.

"Was that before or after you held a goddamn show in the hall?" she questioned, meeting Thirteen's advances unflinchingly.

"If your eyes had been _up here,_" Thirteen pointed to her eyes with her index and middle finger, "then you would have known it wasn't a goddamn show."

"How the hell is it my fault that you're so fucking attractive?!" Their voices had risen to the point that they were yelling at each other, anger and frustration dripping from their intonation.

"How the hell is it _my_ fault you're so fucking wonderful?!" she growled.

Cameron was about read to pull her hair out, but her passionate frustration took a wrong turn, and before she could utter another syllable she was already pulling Thirteen in by the collar.

* * *

Before long, Cameron was leading them in what she hoped to be the bedroom.

"Wait, we can't do this," Thirteen said, drawing back enough to speak.

"Why?" Cameron breathed.

"I'm…" She trailed off, pulling away entirely to cover her mouth in apparent concern.

Now genuinely worried, the blonde reached for Thirteen, but withdrew her hand before it landed on the other woman's shoulder. "What's the matter?"

Thirteen's piercing gaze landed on Cameron again, a frown marring her features. "I'm drunk."

Cameron's eyebrows raised. "What?"

The taller of the two shook her head. "No, that's not what I was going to say." She took a deep, unnecessary breath. "I'm your mother."

Cameron's mouth fell open. Her world collapsed. Her mind tried to reboot with the one possible explanation. "Don't fuck with me, Remy. If you were my mother, you'd have to have been 10 when having me."

"I know," she responded, sounding desperate. "I lied about being around in the Seattle Slaughter. I knew you wouldn't make the connection that way."

Cameron turned away, chanting, "No, no, no."

"It was after I had you, before your father and I married, during a bachelorette party that I became a vampire." Thirteen disappeared for a moment, then reappeared in front of Cameron with a piece of paper in hand. "Here." She offered the photograph to the blonde.

Cameron eyed the photograph before her eyes widened in disbelief.

It was a picture of her, Thirteen, and her dad. Only she was the baby, and Remy and dad were the happy couple.

"What's wrong, baby?" The unknown voice caught Cameron off guard, and she turned around to see Foreman, walking out of the bedroom with only his boxers on.

Cameron died of cardiac arrest that night.

* * *

**I just had to do this. Belated april fools! xD My laptop had been defragmenting for a whole 21 hours, so I missed the actual date, but still. ****Everything after the pagebreak is a lie. If you skipped down to check whether it was a prank or not; well, dang.**

**I repeat: this is the unbetaed, edited, unfinished chapter solely updated for my amusement. The real chapter will be upped as soon as it's finished and betaed.**

**Heart attack reviews will be much appreciated. Failed attempts at a heart attack, but successful attempts at humor reviews will be appreciated as well. Angry fans—well, I understand, sorry xD**


	12. Chapter 11

Cameron folded her arms over her chest tightly, glancing around the dark street. There was a group of thugs standing on the street corner, talking about something she didn't want to hear; a nightclub that was attracting the wrong kind of people; and bums lazing about every few feet, begging for a coin or two. She could only hope that Thirteen heard her cries of distress if was pulled into a dark alley. It would just figure that she'd get murdered just because she wanted to return the mobile to the taller woman.

Okay, maybe she wanted to blow up in her face about being labeled as AB as well.

She pulled out the scrap of paper with Thirteen's address, then looked around some more. Ever thankful to whatever God was out there that the Skyline apartments billboard was lit up like it was the only decent place around, she headed for the entrance.

Which she could only get to if she crossed the creepy, dark alley with entirely too much dumpsters, trash and rodents.

_Shit._

Bracing herself for a curt walk through the alleyway that practically spelled out impending doom, she cursed whatever architect that designed this for thinking it was a practical entrance, and kept out a watchful eye as she entered the alley.

"Hello there, pretty lady," a throaty voice called to her. It only took three steps into a dark alleyway. That had to be a record of some kind.

Cameron looked up and kept up a slower pace as she made her way to the entrance, figuring that keeping an eye on the man (ie. rapist) _and_ walking away was the best option. Dark eyes leered at her from beneath a mop of unruly, dark hair.

"What are we doing out here at this time of hour, _all alone?_" With the way he emphasized the last few words, Cameron knew she should have taken her chances and run away. He slithered closer, and she inched away subtly.

When he didn't stop advancing, she blurted, "I'm here for Thirteen."

He laughed menacingly and pushed her against the wall with one swift motion. Cameron was surprised she immediately hit the wall instead of tumbling backwards onto the floor. Apparently, he had intimidated her closer to the wall. That was entirely besides the point, however, because the next thing she knew he was pressing up against her. "Aren't we all?" he breathed, his words reeking of garlic.

Before Cameron could consider which part of his anatomy she was going to kick, a bloodcurdling growl resounded through the alleyway. The man was yanked from his feet and thrown against a dumpster like a rag doll. She got one last glance of his head lolling upwards as he slid down to the floor before a familiar olive shirt blocked her view. "You keep your paws off her, Rodriguez," Thirteen snarled. Cameron couldn't see her face, but her tone was more than enough to intimidate even her. "We don't want a repeat of Carlos."

"You won't hurt me." Rodriguez pulled himself to his feet and smiled crookedly. "I'm immune," he sniggered, lifting his arms to present himself.

Thirteen took a few resolute steps forward. "Do you really want to test that theory?"

He stepped back on instinct, bumping against the dumpster. His upper lip drew back into a sneer. "Bitch," he hissed, then stumbled his way out of the alley.

Cameron finally felt like she could breathe again when Thirteen turned around, despite the clearly annoyed frown that marred her face. "Remy—"

"Shut up," she snapped, making Cameron cringe. Without explaining her mood, she closed in the distance between them and picked the blonde up effortlessly. "Close your eyes," she ordered, refusing to make eye contact.

Cameron did as she was told, afraid to further anger the brunette. There was a slight breeze, and then she was being put down again in a living room. Taking the action as an okay for her to open her eyes, she looked around. There was a huge aquarium built into the light grey wall to her left and tan carpet beneath her feet. The only thing that appeared to be worn was the black leather couch and matching recliner. Despite the expensive interior, everything looked strangely empty. The open balcony to her left revealed to her that they were now on the second floor.

Thirteen gave her a painfully blank look before turning around and seating herself in the recliner. Cameron watched in somewhat stupefied silence as the other woman picked up what looked like a bottle of blood from the table and proceeded to drink some of the contents. The brunette didn't seem to care about the leather of her recliner, because she leaned back and pulled up her legs to rest her chucks on the edge of the seating. The smaller woman didn't like the air of nonchalance Thirteen was sporting. Something felt off.

Remembering why she came over in the first place, she pulled out Thirteen's cell phone and threw it in her direction. Even though the woman looked wholly unprepared for the action, she still managed to catch the device without removing her eyes from Cameron.

"Huh, House must've taken it from my locker," Thirteen said, briefly looking over her mobile before throwing it onto the couch. She took another sip, watching how Cameron was silently seething.

"That's all you have to say?" Cameron asked, making an effort not to let it come out through gritted teeth. "Don't try to tell me you didn't stick around to hear what House had to say."

"I didn't," she answered simply, licking any excess blood from her teeth.

Cameron grimaced at the lack of interest behind her answer. "It's good to see you care as much about me as Chase implied," she spat, turning around with the intention of leaving the place. Not a few seconds later, Thirteen had appeared in front of her. Instead of standing perfectly still like she usually did, she wobbled slightly in place from the speed with which she moved.

"Don't talk to me about who cares how much," she said in a dangerously low voice, completely ignoring her lack of composure. Cameron thought she could even detect a slight slur in her voice. "I… I hate Chase," she added, pointing a finger at the blonde's chest as she squinted slightly.

Cameron frowned, torn between wondering what the hell had gotten into Thirteen and biting back. "He has nothing to do with this!" Her built up frustration vetoed any compassion. She swatted away the woman's hand. To her surprise, Thirteen actually lowered her hand. "You are the one who used me for a midnight snack."

"I might as well, since my life is filled with _pointless sex_," she shot back, getting in the blonde's face.

"Was that before or after you held a goddamn show in the hall?" she questioned, meeting Thirteen's advances unflinchingly.

"If your eyes had been _up here,_" Thirteen pointed to her eyes with her index and middle finger, "then you would have known it wasn't a goddamn show."

"How the hell is it my fault that you're so fucking attractive?!" Their voices had risen to the point that they were yelling at each other, anger and frustration dripping from their intonation.

"How the hell is it _my_ fault you're so fucking wonderful?!" she growled.

Cameron was about ready to pull her hair out, but her passion took a wrong turn, and before she could utter another syllable she was already pulling Thirteen in by the collar. Their lips met harshly, nearly toppling them over – Thirteen more so than Cameron. The intensity of the kiss slowly died down, mostly because Cameron went along with the unusually slow pace the brunette was going at. This was also why she was the one to break away. Thirteen blinked away her confusion, trying to wipe the stupefied look from her face. Before Cameron could ask what was going on, however, Thirteen was already speaking.

"I need to sit down," she said with an undertone of discomfort, making her way over to the couch.

"What's wrong?" Cameron asked, following the other woman and eventually seating herself on the couch next to her, their spat momentarily forgotten.

Thirteen leaned forwards, running her hands across her face. "I drank too much."

Cameron's eyes automatically searched out the bottle. It had no label, but there was certainly blood in it. Wasn't blood supposed to make vampires stronger?

"They worked in something to mimic the effects of alcohol," Thirteen supplied, apparently not needing to see Cameron's confused expression to know what she was thinking. "Apparently, it screws up my system and also has to hurt like a mother f—"

"Hey," she interrupted, slightly startled at the tone she used. She rested her hand between the other woman's shoulder blades and made slow circular movements. "Will you be alright?"

"I don't know." Thirteen took the comforting action as a green light and tilted to the side until her head was nestled comfortably in Cameron's lap. She looked up at the blonde, smiling slightly. "I actually feel nauseous."

Cameron raised her eyebrows, allowing her hand to rest on Thirteen's shoulder. "How is that a good thing?"

"I haven't felt sick in over a decade," she murmured, rolling onto her side so that she was facing Cameron's stomach. Her quiet laugh turned into a grimace. "It kind of sucks."

Cameron allowed a small smile to play on her lips as she ran her fingers through Thirteen's hair, removing any stray strands from her face. The grimace eased slightly at the affectionate gesture. "This doesn't mean you're off the hook," she noted, feeling her previous discontent seeping through. Her hand stilled, but she made no move to remove it from its place on Thirteen's neck. "I still need to know why you labelled me as AB."

"Sorry." Thirteen closed her eyes, shifting slightly to make herself comfortable. "I thought it'd be the right thing to do with House and the Nosferatu. Your stuff just isn't safe anymore," she said, a lazy slur to her voice.

"The Nosferatu?" Cameron echoed, frowning.

Thirteen's eyes shot open and she looked up at the blonde. For a moment it looked like she said something she wasn't supposed to, but then she relaxed into the lying position again. "Do you really consider us pointless sex?" she asked, the monotone in her voice betraying her insecurity.

Figuring that knowing about the Nosferatu was something she could get in trouble for, Cameron let it go and focused on the conversation at hand. "Do you?" she asked softly.

"I… don't know." Thirteen's eyes were focussed on the blonde's shirt, so she couldn't see the hurt look that flitted across Cameron's face. The hand that had been resting on the couch near her heart reached forward and grasped lightly at the hem of the other woman's shirt. "I don't want you to leave."

Cameron sighed silently, somewhat relieved that Thirteen did seem to be affected by her. Though that could just be the pseudo alcohol. "I'm going to need more than that. I need…" She paused, allowing herself to think over what she really needed. "I need to know this isn't some elaborate joke."

Thirteen chuckled dryly. "Have you not been there when I spilled my guts to you?"

"I don't know what to think," Cameron admitted, biting her lower lip as the brunette tilted her head up to look at her. "You're a vampire."

Thirteen looked at her uncomprehendingly. "So everything I say is automatically a lie?" She raised her eyebrows when she noticed the guilty glimmer in Cameron's eyes. "Just because I can eat you, doesn't mean it's all I want. Besides, I don't have the mental capacity to work out such an explicit lie. Compared to other vampires, I'm practically half human."

"Other vampires," Cameron sighed, getting slightly overwhelmed.

"Don't think about it. Just—ugh." Thirteen sat up shakily and leaned forward in a very human display of discomfort.

"Is there anything I can do?" she asked worriedly, her hand automatically finding Thirteen's back again. It was almost alarming how someone so powerful could suddenly look so weak.

"Fresh blood," she whispered, turning pleading eyes to Cameron. "I think I might need... it."

Cameron nodded, then looked around the room. "Okay, where's your fridge?" When she turned her attention back on the other woman, she was painfully aware of how her eyes were focused on her neckline. "Remy?"

"I can hear your heartbeat," she answered softly, unable to raise her eyes from such tantalizing flesh. The pulsing became louder, the delicate skin came closer. It wasn't until her lips were pressed against a warm neck that she realized she was the one who moved closer. She was only vaguely aware she must've said something right if Cameron was allowing her to come this close. "Can I?"

"I have work tomorrow." Cameron swallowed, staying perfectly still.

"I'll be gentle," she murmured against her flesh, thankfully making no move to do as she pleased. "I won't take much."

Cameron let out a nervous breath, remembering the last time she was bitten and how it felt. It was an overwhelming experience she didn't particularly felt the need to relive at the moment. Certainly not with the state Thirteen was in. "No. I'll help you tonight, but not like that."

Thirteen groaned in disappointment, lowering her forehead to lean against the blonde's shoulder. "Will you at least join me in bed?"

She chuckled softly at the woman's all too human reaction. "Maybe."

* * *

Cameron outright laughed at Thirteen's futile attempts to manhandle her to the bed. Whatever had been in the blood the brunette had consumed, it had weakened her to the point of having humanlike strength, thus allowing Cameron to struggle as they stumbled to the bedroom. There was nothing sexual about their clash of wills, nor had it started out like that.

"Don't laugh at me, woman," Thirteen huffed with a smile, pushing Cameron into the room by pressing up against her. Her hands on the woman's hips helped in guiding her in the right direction. At least her length allowed her to maintain the appearance of being in charge.

"Sorry," Cameron said, hiding her smile in Thirteen's shoulder. "It's just that you're not that much of a badass now."

Thirteen scoffed, momentarily pausing in her attempts to guide Cameron to the bed. "I could still take on Chase."

"Chase?" She lifted her eyes to look at slightly muddled blue eyes. "What does he have to do with anyth—AH." Cameron yelped as she was pushed back onto the bed, Thirteen following closely.

"Absolutely nothing," she answered smugly as she hovered over the blonde, a smirk tugging at her lips.

"Cheat," Cameron accused playfully.

"Bite me," she shot back, her smile widening at the blonde's laugh. She rolled off Cameron and onto her side, watching her lazily. Mischievous eyes looked back at her. "I should sleep."

"I don't know, I kind of like you like this," she teased. To prove her point, she leaned in and pecked the brunette on the nose, then, after a little hesitation, captured a proper kiss.

Thirteen sighed as Cameron backed away, shooting her a semi-disapproving look. "You're going to make this hard on me, aren't you?"

"Only if this is my only opportunity," she replied with a cheeky smile.

Thirteen opened her mouth, but wasn't quite sure what to say. Cameron's almost aggressive behaviour took her by surprise after the general reluctance to try out their relationship – though it still seemed too strong of a word, they could end up in one.

"Rain check?" Cameron offered.

Thirteen nodded after a few more seconds of stupefied silence, smiling disbelievingly. As they settled for sleep, she could only wonder what she just agreed to.

* * *

_Boom._

Thirteen's eyes shot open.

_Boom, boom._

She craned her neck up quickly and scanned the room for any threats. No one else occupied the darkened bedroom.

_Boom, boom._

Her eyebrows knitted together before she realised what the familiar, steady rhythm was. She looked down at the blonde whom she was hunched over protectively. Cameron was sleeping blissfully, lying on her stomach.

_Boom, boom._

Calming her frayed nerves, Thirteen settled back down in her previous position, pressing her ear against the warm surface of Cameron's back.

_Boom, boom._

She pressed her nose into the blonde's shirt and took a deep breath, enjoying the soothing scent of her companion. A hand ran down the sleeping woman's back contentedly, fingers slipping underneath the cotton to cop a feel of warm skin.

The skin of Cameron's lower back prickled in response to the cold touch, and she shifted somewhat in response. Thirteen halted all movement, but the woman only appeared to inch closer to her. This ignited all kinds of pleasant feelings in her chest, and soon she found herself feeling uncomfortable because her chest started to rumble in another quiet purr. Though she paid the embarrassment no mind since no one was around to hear it. Instead she huddled closer to the blonde, allowing her senses to drown in everything that was Cameron.

"Thirteen, what do you think you're doing?"

Despite being caught off guard, Thirteen didn't shoot up like last time, recognizing the voice almost immediately. She groaned in disappointment at the interruption. Not a lot of people knew how to make a demanding question sound so calm, impressive and caring all at the same time.

* * *

**Time to break off the chapter randomly in the pretence of being a cliff-hanger, LOL. Seriously though, writing any further would just kill the chapter.**

**Since it'll probably take forever for me to update, I'll give you guys a hint: The voice is a She and the Nosferatu have nothing to do with the main plot.**

**Also: HOLY HELL, MORE THAN 30 REVIEWS, ARE YOU GUYS NUTS? [/end uncharacteristic use of caps lock] I love you guys for your (heart attacks) insistent support. Without it, I'd probably have forgotten about this story entirely.**

**Ps. Not only am I temporarily partially blind and is my beta unavailable, but I have to use Wordpad since my Word trial period ended, blabla, expect a lot of mistakes.**

**Heimdall; **Haha, thank you. I'm glad you liked the joke (actually, a lot of people did, but they weren't all very happy about it *snigger*) _and_ the story. Oh, I forgot about that. I haven't really expressed Cameron's heightened senses, except maybe in the caffeine-shot way. Dang. Well, at least next time I won't forget about it (yes, next time *cackle*).

**Lazy to login;** I knew I should've written "I'm your father" LOL. Yeah, because if Foreman died, Thirteen would definitely need comforting -insert pointed look at Cameron-


	13. Chapter 12

Thirteen leaned against the kitchen counter, sipping her glass of blood reluctantly in the presence of the other woman. She all but glared at her sire, the formal formfitting suit she was wearing, the glossy, long black hair, the forever bronze tinted skin, but most of all at the emotionless black eyes.

"Does she know?" she asked calmly, putting Thirteen's usual composure to shame with unmatched patience. She didn't even bother to cross her arms. She just stood there, looking like standing was all she needed to intimidate the answer from the younger woman – and it _was_ all she needed.

"Naam," Thirteen began, but when she was met with the slightest of shifts in the bronze skinned woman, she immediately felt compelled to answer her question. "Yes." She frowned at the ease with which she told the truth.

Naam tilted her head disapprovingly, but otherwise managed to stay as still as a statue – a product of her eroded humanity over the many decades she had lived. "Have you bitten her?"

"Yes," Thirteen answered before she could help herself. She shook her head and put her glass down on the counter. "Stop doing that, I'm not a child anymore."

"You're allowing it to happen, therefore you are still a child," Naam responded, tilting her head back up. The arrogant gesture rubbed Thirteen in the wrong way, but she refrained from showing any annoyance. Instead, she waited for the older woman to state her business. She rarely came by at all, so when she checked on her, Thirteen had always crossed some kind of line. "You're looking for something you lost in her," she finally announced. "She'll lose it as well if you turn her."

"It's a good thing I'm not planning on turning her, then," she replied casually before shooting into a more defensive mode. "What makes you think I'm looking for _anything_?"

"It's what drove you to feasting on humans," she said as she shortened the distance between them, her face not betraying her intentions. Thirteen watched her warily. "I am no fool. I know what it feels like to feed. You need to feel alive, and whatever defined your human life, you have found it in her." She stopped short in front of the brunette, so close that her black eyes revealed to be a dark brown. "Tell me, what is it?"

Thirteen tilted her head down, partly ashamed to admit that Naam was right and partly embarrassed to acknowledge what she felt.

Where others might attempt to make a reassuring gesture, the woman only stared her down. "I may help."

Thirteen swallowed, glancing up at Naam with a glimmer of uncertainty in her eyes. So far, whenever her sire had promised to help, she did so indeed. Even during the problematic matter with a certain stripper. Maybe not in the most conventional of ways, but aid she had always received. "Her warmth," she admitted uncomfortably. "Not just her physical warmth, but the way she cares. She cares about," she made a vague motion with her hand, trying to put the word into a gesture, "life. She _is_ life."

"That is rare, indeed," Naam said, scrutinizing the brunette for a moment. "Break things off with her."

"What?" Thirteen's eyes refocused on the present. "That's your advice? Break things off? Just like that?"

"Either she dies of old age or she will leave you for a human," she explained, as if she had the simple answer to a mathematical problem. "You won't be able to take her change as a vampire and neither will she. The only solution is to end the relationship."

"No." Thirteen walked away, running a hand through her hair. "No, you don't know her," she snapped, lowering her arm in a frustrated swoop. "I will not stand by as you dictate my life and shatter any hopes at happiness again." There was venom in her words, but she knew – even in her human life – that raising one's voice would never get you what you wanted.

"If that is what you wish," the vampire relented, following her movements with her eyes. Thirteen didn't calm down at her easy admission, still feeling the discontentment coursing through her veins. "She's awake. I'll leave you two be." The woman turned to her childe, even as the brunette's attention was back on Cameron's movements. "Think about what I said."

Thirteen glanced in the general direction in which Naam had disappeared. With the distractions and her sire's superior powers, she still experienced her escape as a sudden disappearance. "Think about what I said," she repeated with a hint of ridicule, scoffing.

"Remy?" Cameron called from the bedroom, not making an attempt to get up from her comfortable spot in bed. Apparently, she trusted the woman to hear her wherever she was. She squinted sleepily, noticing the empty space beside her. "Are you talking to someone?"

"I just hung up," she lied smoothly, returning to bed.

* * *

"What is that god awful smell?" Thirteen asked, crinkling her nose as she entered the kitchen. Cameron was standing at the stove, sloppy bun and crinkled clothes in place, doing something that made her wish she didn't have hypersensitive senses. The blonde looked back, raising her eyebrows in wonder. She was making French toast, but so far, nothing had burned.

"I know my cooking isn't anything naked Chef worthy, but a girl's gotta eat," she said with a small smile, somewhat hurt by the comment. She turned back to the food when Thirteen approached her and circled her arms around her stomach, pressing a nose against Cameron's bare neck.

"I hate all food," she murmured against warm skin. The taller woman looked over her shoulder as Cameron flipped the bread. "Even chocolate is creamy death in a handy travelling size candy bar." She smirked, inhaling noticeably. "Though _this _smells of heaven."

Cameron rolled her eyes as Thirteen nudged the back of her neck with her nose. "Oh, you suck up," she chastised playfully, shaking her head in disbelief. "You still aren't getting any."

"Please?" she begged childishly, grinning from ear to ear at the other woman's reluctant sigh.

Cameron turned off the stove and slid her French toast on a plate. "Will it hurt?"

"No," she answered quickly. "I handled it badly last time." Her smile dimmed at the possibility of feeding on the blonde. She was craving the warm liquid constantly, and Cameron's reluctance to share made her all the more edgy. There was just something perpetually attractive about the woman.

"Will it make you go Crazy Vampire?" she asked curiously, placing the pan back on the stove.

"No." Thirteen allowed Cameron's slowly increasing heartbeat to reverberate through her form, becoming anxious towards her final answer.

"Will it make me anaemic?" she asked, thinking she had Thirteen there when she remained quiet longer than necessary. Truth was, Thirteen had never even considered anaemia, but it wasn't like she was surpassing the norm of donating blood.

"Not unless you donate blood on the side," she said with a hint of impatience.

"Okay, that's it," Cameron turned around in the possessive embrace, coming face to face with slightly dulled eyes. "That tone right there. You're starting to see me as a snack."

"It's so much more than that," she said softly, looking down at her with partially lidded eyes. "Your heartbeat will be mine, your breath will echo in my lungs." She leaned in closer slowly, unconsciously. "Sometimes I can almost taste one's thoughts."

The whispered words sent a cold shiver up Cameron's spine. She was only barely aware of her surrounds as the intensity in Thirteen's eyes locked her in place and ate her alive. Unable to produce a coherent answer, she simply swallowed, trying to keep her thoughts on track.

Tired of having to convince the woman every step of the way, but mostly just so tempted it hurt, she closed in the distance between them and pressed a tender kiss to the side of her neck. She allowed her lips to linger, her teeth to graze the delicate surface of her skin. She was all too aware of the quickened heartbeat, the hitch in her breath and the hands that fisted her shirt nervously.

Cameron gasped. She felt a brief tickle of pain that alerted her that skin had been broken, but none of the intensity she experienced during that one night in the shower. The minor discomfort was quickly replaced with the same lukewarm numbness she felt when Thirteen had healed her scrape. Instead of the feeling being restricted to her hand, however, it slowly spread across her body, her skin prickling in places where she didn't even know skin could prickle. When the feeling reached her heart, the crushing vulnerability became unbearable, and suddenly she was struggling to get away. "Stop," she panicked, pushing at Thirteen's shoulders. "Stop it."

Thirteen, feeling slightly woozy from the warmth that coursed through her, lapped at the wound one last time before complying. The clean cut closed on its own right before her eyes. She didn't bother to ask what was wrong, knowing that it could be an overwhelming experience from the expressive stories she heard.

Cameron breathed heavily as Thirteen straightened back up, her body tingling like it hadn't been violated in the most unholy of ways. She stared up at the other woman, seeing her in a new light. One that told her she didn't want to feed just because she tasted good.

Thirteen smiled lazily when she was pulled down for a kiss.

* * *

"Where is Cameron?" House asked as soon as he entered diagnostics.

The sole occupants of the room looked up. Chase shrugged and Foreman stared at him blankly.

He grinned, hurrying off before the door closed behind him, jacket still on and bag still slung over his shoulder.

Chase stared after him for a moment, before getting out his mobile.

"Who are you calling?" Foreman asked.

His response was a simple look as he waited for an answer. "Yeah, hi, Allison? About that coffee you're going to owe me…"

* * *

Cameron ran her hands over her face as she sat on a bed in the ready room. The reason for her being there was to momentarily avoid the world. It had been awful to go to work on a empty stomach, but it had been positively mortifying when Chase realized why she was late in the first place – on the phone. Fortunately – or maybe unfortunately – Thirteen made her hang up and didn't let her go until they had finished their morning activities, or else she would've been double on edge with House being out for blood. Though so far, he had only been making the same old remarks and hadn't tried anything radical.

She groaned, swearing to never let Thirteen come within a three feet distance in future mornings again. And because all the embarrassment hadn't been enough already, she was tired as well.

"What the hell is your boss's problem?"

Cameron lowered her hands, surprised that it wasn't herself who voiced the thought. She looked up to see Thirteen stand before her, dusting off some sprinkles from her sleeve. "Is that… glitter?"

Thirteen took out an empty canister from her pocket and threw it over to Cameron, then continued to shake some glitter from her hair.

"Dr. Gregory House's glittery glitter?" Cameron read from the label, running a finger over the hastily scribbled name. House never left such blatant clues behind unless he wanted to be caught. "I think he wants you to confront him." That would make sense since he had been dying to get them in the same room. Especially now that they were both late for work.

"Do you think I should?" Thirteen asked, sitting down beside Cameron once she had gotten off most of the glitter. "I could try to avoid him the next two weeks."

"You could try," Cameron sighed, tangling fingers in her hair as she rested her head on top of a hand. "I don't know, maybe we should do nothing and just play into his hands."

Thirteen smiled at her tired reaction. "You know what I think?"

"What?"

"That you should take a nap," she finished matter-of-factly, glancing over at the bed. Cameron followed her eyes, then looked back up at her hesitantly. "I can stay on watch if you want, wake you up if House is looking for you."

"So you can stay up and watch me sleep?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "That's a little too Edward for my taste, thank you very much," she teased, returning the smile with one of her own.

"Well, I _am_ sparkling," Thirteen mused out loud. She glanced down at the glitter on her clothes, then grinned at Cameron. "You'll be watching me kick ass at baseball in no time."

Cameron shook her head in amusement and chuckled. "Okay, but only if you do the human thing and join me. No gawking from a dark corner allowed."

"Gawking from dark corners is for hundred year old virgin sissies, anyway." Cameron laughed as she was coaxed back onto the bed with a playful push.

* * *

It only took House a few seconds to spot the glitters on her lab coat and for him to remark how awesome her life must be.

* * *

**I was reluctant to bring in any original characters, but unless I wanted Kutner or Taub to pose as the super awesome kickass vampire… yeah, not gonna happen. At least her name is as neutral as can be (lolshutupanyonedutch).**

**And I summarized the entire "House finding out" scene out, because I was desperate to finish this chapter. Seriously. This chapter took me ages of staring at the flickering pointer. If it bothers you enough, I might edit it later on. Right now, though, I'm glad I finished it.**

**NOW, on to the good stuff! Aka the next chapter.**

**Lazy to login;** "I'm your father" wouldn't have given away the Star Wars reference? Haha. Cameron likes dying people, yes. She seems fine with people who are already dead, too, LOL… yeah, let's not go into detail about that. Ooooh, you checked out my deviantart. This is like a double compliment now :)  
**Heimdall;** I don't think vampires in this story have weaknesses like garlic or holy water. They do tend to die when shot with a shotgun up close, though, LOL. No, the head is called Integra—wait, I'm mixing stuff up now xD Nah, I didn't lose my glasses, just my eyesight (I only tripped over some magazines! xD). The infection is gone now, though, so I'm back to being plain farsighted. Darn! I couldn't drug Cameron in this chapter. I think it's not going to happen anymore.  
**Lafite;** Hahaha, I like you too. I think I skipped your review somehow. But if you thought that was cute, check this chapter out! xD Glad you suspect I'm good at evoking emotion :3 That makes me glad.

**PS. Still suffering from a general lack of beta.  
PPS. The attacker Rodriguez in chapter 11 was inspired by WonderousPlaceForAnEcho. Her idea, that is.**


	14. Chapter 13

Thirteen looked down over the parking lot of the hospital as her hands clammed around the railing around the roof, welcoming the freezing wind. She didn't work there as a janitor anymore, not for a while now. It allowed her to become used to her normal rhythm of sleeping during the day again, which was good, both for her and for Cameron; for her, because she could bloom to her full potential during the night without any additional pesky headaches, and for Cameron, because she wouldn't get distracted from what she was supposed to do.

The cold bit at her exposed neck and face, but try as she might, she couldn't feel the sting that used to come with it. It only served as a reminder of what she was and what she wasn't supposed to have.

A blonde figure walked across the parking lot, catching her attention. Even from this distance she could hear the reassuring heartbeat and smell the distinct perfume.

She took a deep breath, both calming her and instigating a restlessness in her that she was all too familiar with. She wasn't supposed to have feelings for life. She had left that behind her a long time ago. Even if she hadn't embraced death, she would have deteriorated beyond recognition by now. In life death would catch up with her, and in death life would catch up with her. The only difference was that life was temporary, and she would bear the brunt for watching everything around her extinguish.

The blonde reached her car and proceeded to rummage around in her purse.

Thirteen averted her eyes. Even in granting them eternity they would extinguish due to the change.

"You have made up your mind." The voice was as sudden and composed as ever, but she could detect a hint of pride and sympathy beneath the layers of apathy.

"I have," Thirteen responded, not realizing her voice could sound as dead as she felt. The presence behind her moved in closer and soon Naam was standing beside the woman. The vampire looked down at Cameron, face poised in an air of indifference. The only thing about her that stirred minutely was her long dark hair. Thirteen almost felt pride in what she was as she watched the serene yet deadly beauty that was her sire. The elegant black dress she wore did nothing to hide her predatory nature.

"You are sad," she added, not moving to make eye contact.

Thirteen looked down as Cameron stepped into her car. The comment made her feel even worse for wear, but her eyes didn't sting as she had expected them to and her muscles were surprisingly relaxed for being as burdened as she was. "Can we cry?" she asked, not really caring for the answer as she watched the doctor go.

"We can." Naam turned her head to look at her childe. There was a pause in which Thirteen thought her sire was going to state the painfully obvious truth again, but she was surprised to feel a hand on her shoulder instead. Her sire rarely initiated contact of any manner, so the gentle touch practically felt like she was enveloped in her arms. It was almost warm against her freezing skin.

She looked up from the empty parking lot and into dark eyes. Something inside her snapped at the silent understanding that passed between them. As much as Naam appeared heartless most of the time, she was always there for her, whether she noticed or not. It broke her heart that this was all she had, that she wouldn't be able to fall back on anything else.

Foregoing any possible etiquette they had established between them, she closed in the distance between them and pressed her face in between Naam's neck and shoulder.

"Remy." Her name was spoken in displeasure, but she couldn't care less because the next thing she knew, Naam was holding her. It sickened her somewhat that she felt an immense wave of joy overcome her when her precious sire took her in her arms. Part of the reason for them being so distant was the supernatural bond that had been established between them ever since she was created; a bond that created an admiration for her creator beyond words. At first, Naam had allowed the borderline worship, and looking back on it, Thirteen probably needed such stability and distraction after such a drastic transformation. It didn't take too long for her sire to create distance between them, however, and though it hurt in the beginning, the brunette was forever grateful for her merciful behaviour.

But right now, as she felt the need to please her sire tug at her soul, she gave in – anything to replace the hollowness that slowly spread in her undead heart.

Remy refused to sob, but she was all too aware of the blood-red tears that stained Naam's skin. She raised her arms to rest her hands on the dark-haired woman's bare back, barely able to keep from clinging.

Cameron's scent was slowly dissipating from the air.

* * *

**Oh God… is it true? Why yes, yes, I am experimenting. I can't stand my writer's block, so I'm throwing things around. The chapters might or might not continue on like this; fastforwarded, fragmented, short. I'm sorry if I'm ruining the story and/or my style, but I feel so restricted! *lol***

**I know I've neglected to reply to reviews last time, but I still love you guys, I promise!**

**Now, let the protesting begin! xD**


	15. Chapter 14

Thirteen stared straight ahead, looking at the TV, but not watching. It had been three months now, but every memory was still vibrant and lingering. She had tried to convince herself that they hadn't even been together that long, that she'd have all the time in the world and that there could be others, but her emotions never cooperated before and now was no different. Right now, she was offered a merciful reprieve from her feelings and was experiencing a numbness that she knew usually came after crying her heart out.

But she hadn't cried.

She didn't even know what she had been doing these last three months. All she knew was the gnawing guilt and sorrow, intermitted by the pleasant rush that came with pleasing her sire by fulfilling some task or another. Even moving into the same ridiculously luxurious house as Naam had been unintentional, yet there she was, whittling away in silence.

It bothered her that she knew more about Naam's schedule than her own, and she would've been impressed with the tact her sire used in life if it weren't for her disposition. She meant to ask her why these grating feelings were so persistent. She had a hunch it might be related to the fact that she had tasted Cameron's thoughts – if that was even possible – because she could still feel her lingering presence. Nothing seemed to come remotely close to the real thing, however, and so she was living in memories half of the time.

Someone came through the front door, she could hear it clearly. The heartbeat was as obvious as his footsteps and aftershave, but she didn't care about his presence because people always seemed to be arriving and leaving in this house.

"Dad?" he called.

Thirteen might've been far gone, but not _that_ far.

She turned around to glance over the couch as the dusky skinned man walked into the spacious living room. As soon as he spotted her, he grinned widely, almost innocently, and approached her.

"Hey, you must be Thirteen." He wiped his hand on his jeans before he held it out to her. "I'm Kutner."

Thirteen raised her eyebrows, but took his hand nevertheless. He shook it eagerly. "Remy," she corrected. "Who were you calling dad?" She frowned, her surprise turning into confusion.

"Lawrence," Naam called from across the room, appearing out of nowhere as she strode towards them. "Where is your pack leader?"

Kutner jutted his thumb in the direction of the backyard, or as Thirteen liked to call it, the park. "Outside, getting dressed."

Thirteen had to do a double take, because Naam proceeded to shake her head incredulously and actually seemed to be _smiling_. Her sire did not do frivolous actions such as shaking her head or smiling, let alone both at the same time. Then she steadied herself and took a deep _breath_. Needless to say, Thirteen gawked after the vampire as she headed outside, _breathing happily_.

"I know, right?" The brunette snapped out of it, turning back to Kutner. He was still smiling as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "That was exactly my reaction when I first saw her like that. She giggles too."

Thirteen looked at him slack jawed. "You're kidding."

"No, she totally has the hots for her mate. They've been together for, like..." He trailed off, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully. His thoughtful look faltered soon afterward and turned slightly difficult before he set his attention on Thirteen again. "Forever."

She snapped her mouth shut, unable to imagine Naam being with anyone romantically. She was much too dominant and, well, powerful to be influenced by a puny emotion such as love. No amount of man could even reach her potential (none that she had met anyway). The thought of Naam losing composure alone was scary. Thirteen could only imagine her with some lapdog that tended to her needs every now and then.

"Just don't stare at them too long, or she'll kick your ass," Kutner said, looking at the door with a glint in his eyes that said he knew from experience.

Thirteen glanced up at the man, finding the chances of her thoughts being true increasing as he shifted awkwardly.

* * *

Cameron walked into the room of a comatose patient, Ms. Bloom. The shades were down, creating a gloomy atmosphere. She had been admitted only recently and appeared to have no next of kin, so it was the perfect place to escape to.

Except it wasn't.

House was sitting on a stool next to the blonde woman, thoughtfully observing the lifeless face. It wasn't until he glanced at the monitor that she saw how the patient had flatlined. He looked around the room uncomfortably before flickering his eyes up to Cameron's astonished features. "Lucas can't find Remy," he said simply, and if Cameron squinted, she could almost see trace of an apology. It wasn't surprising that he realized the disappearance of the janitor had affected her. She knew all too well what it had done to her.

At first she was in denial about the hurtful things Thirteen had said, then she became plain angry, then she tried to rationalize it, but eventually she accepted the situation for what it was. It still hurt, but the sheer blandness of life after the woman had disappeared was killing her the most. Chase had lost his shine to her, because – in terms of light and shine – Thirteen had been the sun. In the proximity of the brunette her heart had reacted in ways she didn't even know was possible and now she was left to curse her supernatural features for the gaping hole in her chest.

She just wanted to feel again.

"How long has she been like this?" Cameron asked, not even bothering to rush in if House was sitting there, doing nothing.

"She hasn't," he said, eyes settling back on the still woman. Cameron didn't want to play his game, and apparently, her reluctance was reflected in her posture because he didn't push. He reached down and plugged in a stray wire. Her vitals returned. "She awoke from her coma an hour after admittance," he added, standing up to make his way over to the exit. "You're her attending."

Cameron looked up at him as he halted besides her, his eyes downcast. "It is as if she never existed," he mumbled, foregoing his 'this is an interesting puzzle' intonation for one that was merely stating a fact.

Cameron clenched her jaw as he left the room, and didn't dare move until she was sure her legs would carry her.

* * *

It was three days later when she checked on her patient while she was awake. It amazed Cameron how cheerful and healthy the woman looked when she greeted her. A few days ago she thought her patient had been dead and before that gone for, so it was an invigorating contrast. It was at times like this that Cameron could put her past behind her.

"So I finally meet my doctor," she said with a smile, putting aside the book she had been reading. She had a definite Australian accent.

Cameron fell into the routine of checking vitals, smiling as pleasantly as she could. "Are you sure you were in a car accident, Mrs. Bloom?" she asked, backing away long enough to show she was attempting a joke.

The woman chuckled. "Please, call me Rose," she said, the right corner of her lip twitching upwards.

Cameron considered giving her first name, but with how her patient was improving she probably wasn't going to be there long enough to call her Allison in the first place. "Any headaches or dizziness, Rose?"

Rose shook her head, but then cringed slightly. "Maybe a slight dizziness."

There was a short silence in which Cameron thought over the symptoms, concluding that it was better if the patient stayed a few days longer for observation.

"My mother was called Daisy," the bedridden woman said out of nowhere.

"Hmm?"

"It's a running gag in our family," she explained. "Combining flowers with our last name."

Cameron felt she was chuckling out of politeness. "Why are you telling me this?"

"There's hurt in your eyes." Rose smiled sympathetically, giving her a knowing look. "What was his name?"

Cameron blinked, opening and closing her mouth, taken aback by the sudden question. There was some part of her that considered telling her, just because she'd be out of the hospital in no time, but the fact that it was too personal and she was her doctor weighed down heavily. "What makes you say it's about love?" she asked, checking her IV to have something to do.

Rose shrugged. "Universal problem," she offered with a sheepish smile. The way she said it almost made Cameron feel stupid for thinking it was too personal to share. Everyone went through it at some point.

"Remy." The word had slipped from her lips before she had consciously decided that it wouldn't hurt to talk about.

"What did he do?" she asked, only to be met with doubt in blue eyes. The woman nodded at her hesitance, then raised her eyebrows in a hopeful look of reassurance. "Doctor-patient confidentiality?"

Cameron smiled, shaking her head. "He implied—" She shifted awkwardly, averting her eyes before being met with an encouraging nod. "He said some things that implied we never had a relationship." The words came so fast that Rose seemed to be struggling to comprehend what she said.

"But you don't think he meant it."

Cameron looked down at the white sheets, thoughtfully chewing her lower lip. The mask of indifference Thirteen wore as she said those hurtful words clouded her judgement almost as much as what she said.

"_You taste good and everything, Darling, but this lovey-dovey stuff is costing me too much of my precious time," Thirteen said, looking over her nails in an obnoxiously apathetic gesture. "I have clubs to visit, naïve girls to meet."_

_Cameron put down her mail, turning back to face the brunette. "What?" She must have misheard. Either that, or Thirteen was trying out a new joke._

_Thirteen looked up thoughtfully, stuffing her hands in her pockets. "And boys too."_

_Falling short on proper replies, Cameron simply stared as the other woman contemplated her future choices. "What?" she asked again, her tone twice as desperate._

"_Humans," she sighed, rolling her eyes before looking straight at Cameron. "I'm a cat, you're a mouse. I'm done playing, Sweetheart."_

_Cameron tried to say something, anything, but the change was so sudden that she didn't even know where to begin._

"_Oh God, you're going to cry." Thirteen grimaced, turning away partially. "Yes, well, have fun with that."_

"You don't look like the desperate type," Rose remarked, interrupting Cameron's memory. Cameron cursed the fact that she had to blink away tears despite wanting to know what the bedridden woman was talking about. "What I mean is that you seem reasonable enough to know when something is a lost cause."

"Sure," Cameron agreed half-heartedly, anything but convinced, before looking up into green eyes. "I still have work to do."

Rose nodded and smiled. "Of course."

* * *

**On your screen, speeding things up, ****failing at medical accuracies (srsly, I don't even bother anymore).**

**I wanted House to go all "****BY THE POWER OF JEEEEEZUS" and 'reanimate' the patient, but oh, the timing was all off! xD**

**Theories, people, I want theories!**


	16. Chapter 15

Thirteen walked down the surprisingly silent stairs on her way to the kitchen. They wouldn't even creak if she shifted purposely and tried to make a sound. She brushed it off as a feature of the house that made Naam's existence easier. It made her wonder exactly how finely tuned her senses were, but questions such as that always became so meaningless when standing in front of the woman. If she didn't know any better, she thought her sire purposely kept up such a barrier.

Once at the kitchen, she opened the stocked fridge. There was actual food and blood bags in there, which could have been a cover if the blood wasn't displayed so blatantly. Another question that would remain unanswered.

Grabbing some sustenance, she kicked the door closed, only to jump half out of her skin to see Naam standing there. Usually she was able to sense her presence via whatever bond they shared, but judging from the way the dark-haired woman was tucking away her mobile, she had just sped over after finishing a phone call.

"Sorry," she said, though Thirteen had to search for any honest intonation. "What did you tell Allison?" The question was as plain and straightforward as it was annoying. Thirteen didn't even think it was odd how she knew Cameron's first name.

"I—what?"

Naam took a daunting step forwards. "Tell me what you told Allison."

"No." Thirteen surprised herself with the answer, because she could feel Naam's presence pressuring her, which often led to the truth being told. The bare hint of a proud smile playing on her sire's face scared her enough to consider telling her anyway. It might have been her imagination, but there was a promise of upping the pressure in that look. Even though it never hurt, she didn't want to find out what the woman had in store for her. Her eyes flitted over to the kitchen counter before finding dark brown again. "I told her I used her."

Naam narrowed her eyes disapprovingly. "You were unnecessary hurtful." Thirteen couldn't hear whether it was a question or a statement, but once she started speaking again, she knew the guilt on her face had betrayed her. "You _lied_ to her," she added, not needing an outraged intonation to make it sound like she spat out the words. She approached Thirteen, and the brunette could almost feel the hand around her throat even though the vampire didn't lift a finger. "Remy, you do not lie to love struck humans. They react to us as you react to me."

Thirteen's eyes widened as realization struck her. As much as she loathed Naam, she wouldn't survive without her. If what she told her was right, if there was any kind of bond between them as there was between her and Naam, then she did hurt Cameron unnecessary – a _lot_ more than necessary.

"Foolish girl," Naam whispered, reaching up with a thumb to swipe carefully beneath the brunette's eye. Something shifted in the air around Naam, and for a moment it seemed as if Thirteen could breathe again. That in itself was an odd sensation, because she hadn't breathed for over a decade. "It works both ways," she explained, removing her hand to reveal the crimson spot on her digit. She licked it off, inadvertently revealing her fangs.

"Let's watch a movie," Naam suggested out of the blue, placing her arm around Thirteen's shoulders. The brunette looked at her uncomprehendingly.

"What?"

* * *

Rose was always smiling, Cameron noted as she glanced into the room. No, she wasn't always smiling, she was permanently content – even though she was the victim of a hit&run that left her in shambles. It was as much mystifying as uplifting and stupid.

"Are you going to come in?" Rose asked, looking up from the book she was reading. She was always reading too. Though that was logical, with how there was no working TV in the room. It was a mystery how she got the book in the first place, but she wouldn't put it past one of the nurses to get it for her.

"Sorry," Cameron said, walking into the room. "You looked engrossed in your book."

"I just got off the phone, so I didn't get much reading done anyway." She shrugged and put the item away. "So, what's up? I don't take it you come around this often just to discuss hobbies."

"I don't," she admitted, looking down guiltily before shooting the woman a half-hearted smile. "I'm actually avoiding my boss." And there might be the slight detail that she had been taken off the last case because she might or might not have been spacing out on them every once in a while. That didn't make House any less of a vulture, though.

Rose chuckled. "Bad luck in love _and_ at work. You have it all, don't you, Dr. Cameron?"

"All I need is money problems and issues with my health," Cameron joked, though her heart wasn't really in it. Sure, Rose was easy-going, but being reminded of Thirteen always turned down her mood a few notches.

"Excuse me if I'm getting way ahead of myself here, but it sounds like you need closure." The words were frank and if spoken any differently, would have sounded insincere. As it was, it sounded like Rose was honestly trying to offer advice. The semi-concerned look she shot her supported that.

Cameron sighed, figuring that it couldn't hurt to talk about it. The bedridden woman had already heard more than she had planned on sharing, and for all that she was her patient, the last few days proved that Rose was more than able to handle her story. Her instincts whispered that her intentions weren't malicious either, so she went with her gut and hoped that maybe talking would rid her of some of the burden. "I can't exactly contact him anymore."

"You mean he doesn't answer your calls?"

"He disappeared off the face of the earth," Cameron said, rolling over a stool so she could sit next to the bed. At the sceptical look, Cameron continued, "Literally. Even a PI couldn't find him."

"You hired a PI?" she asked incredulously.

Cameron shook her head, waving it off. "No, my boss did," she corrected, then, realizing how strange it sounded, moved on. "What I mean is—have you seen Twilight?"

Rose stared at her blankly.

Okay, maybe that wasn't much of an improvement in the strangeness department.

"You're saying that your boyfriend disappeared on you because of… differences?" she tried, raising a careful eyebrow. Some of the disbelief melted away. "Because I swear, if you're going to tell me he's _that_ handsome and mysterious… I have a window and I'm not afraid to use it."

Cameron chuckled. "No, no, I was talking about the differences."

"Okay." Rose pursed her lips, thinking. "Change is nonnegotiable?"

"We never really spoke about it," Cameron realized.

"So, hypothetically, you could change for him?" she asked, a certain kind of hesitance in her voice.

"I think so." She stared into the air, contemplating the choice. Becoming a vampire hadn't even crossed her mind up until now. Thirteen must've thought about it or else she wouldn't have made the rash choice of breaking up with her. That was, assuming that it was an act. If she was speaking the truth about getting tired of her, then that was pretty much it. "I don't think she wanted me to change."

A knowing smile crept onto Rose's lips. "What if you didn't have to change? What if you adapted?" The woman blinked a few times. "Oh, what am I saying? I'm not making any sense. If he lives forever, would you take on immortality?"

Cameron tilted her head, the metaphor striking home. The answer was simple. "Not if it required giving up my life." She shook her head. "I couldn't give up on my job, my friends or the city I live in." She looked up at sympathetic green eyes. "Not yet, anyway."

Rose smiled, raising an amused eyebrow. "I think your boss wants you."

Cameron turned, jumping slightly when she saw House pressed up against the glass.

* * *

"Why am I here, exactly?" Thirteen asked with a sigh, leaning back against the counter of an ice cream shop. The shop was miles away from Naam's mansion, and the only reason she went with Kutner to get a treat, was because Naam asked her to.

"Because Naam requested it and you went all puddle of goo underneath her gaze," Kutner said, eagerly taking his ice cream cone from the lady behind the counter.

"I do not go 'puddle of goo' underneath her gaze," she said, using air quotes. The woman behind the counter watched them with interest as they squabbled.

He took a big bite from his ice cream, which, surprisingly, didn't hinder his ability to talk. "Hey, I'm not judging. She's hot."

"I wish it was a simple case of hotness." She pushed herself off the counter, leading the way out of the shop. "I wouldn't be surprised if she had killed someone just by looking at them."

"She did," he said, and when she turned to look at him, his ice cream was already halfway gone. "Once, there was this vampire that came at her with a sword—"

"Let me guess. He fell down before he could even come close to her," Thirteen interrupted.

"Actually, _she_ stabbed her." He took a long lick from his ice cream. "It looked like Naam hurt the sword instead, but there was still blood. Then Naam grabbed the woman's throat and there was this heavy impact in the air. Before everyone's eyes the woman turned to ashes."

Thirteen looked at him with a sceptical frown. "No, she didn't."

Kutner shrugged. "That's what my pack leader told me. She's ancient." He took another bite, the ice cream almost entirely gone by now. "Do you know this guy with wavy blonde hair?"

Her frown simply deepened in reply.

"He's sitting over there," he nodded his head to some place behind her, "looking like he's about to get up and approach you."

Thirteen turned around as inconspicuously as possible, spotting the wavy blonde hair a distance away. It didn't take long for her to recognize the man as one of Cameron's co-workers. She quickly turned back before he could recognize her properly. "Wanna race me to the mansion?"

Kutner looked down at his ice cream and by the time he looked up again, Thirteen was already jogging down the street. "Hey, wait up!"

* * *

**Building storiez… is tiresome. I can't wait 'till the great revelation and question round, phew.**

**I'm surprised people are still reading this. Right now it reads like I'm trying to hook up Thirteen and Cameron to their respective OCs. Which I won't. That's like, sacrilege or something xD**

**I'm so getting in trouble for this, but, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPECIAL MUFFIN.**


	17. Chapter 16

Cameron pulled over, watching a man get out of his car in his own time. He was taking out some lightweight equipment from the passenger seat. Not waiting for him to disappear in one direction or another, she looked through the window, trying to catch a glimpse of the mansion they'd stopped in front of. She knew that Thirteen was well off, but this was ridiculous and cliché. And then there was the vague, angry music that she could hear. It didn't fit at all.

"Dr. Cameron!" Cameron jumped up, turning her attention to the other side of the car. Lucas was looking at her expectantly, holding binoculars in one of his hands. "Would you care to join me?" he asked cheerfully.

She took a moment to recover. "Did House tell you I was coming?"

"It's my job to know what's going on," he explained while Cameron got out of the car. The blonde observed him curiously, wondering if he knew what was going on exactly. "Besides, you weren't exactly James Bond when you followed me. Next time, at least turn off the headlights." Lucas crossed the quiet street, allowing Cameron to follow him. It wasn't long before they were standing in front of a giant fence. The view was even worse with all the trees obscuring the house.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Cameron asked, trying to catch a glimpse through the shrubbery.

"No," Lucas answered simply, looking for a better vantage point. "But my source told me she was spotted close by and leads brought me here."

"Your source?" She gave him a sceptical look at not using plural.

"You have many friends, Dr. Cameron," he answered vaguely, then found what he was looking for with a self-satisfied, "Ah!"

* * *

Thirteen could hear the beat miles away, but was only assured it came from her house when she slid open the glass door that led her from the backyard to the living room. The music was angry and loud, the rhythm fast, and the bass deep. It hit her like a tidal wave, sweeping her under and suffocating her. Music, however loud or emotional, never carried this much impact. The atmosphere made her skin crawl and caused a whirlwind of instincts to unravel within her, all of them fast and hungry like the heavy beat that resounded in the large mansion.

Something else had to be happening.

She turned around to ask Kutner what was going on – he seemed to know more than she had been able to gather in the last ten years – yet all her eyes fell upon was the empty, darkened yard. Even though she had held back from running at top speed, the man was perfectly able to keep up with her breakneck pace. If she hadn't been convinced he wasn't human before, she knew for sure then.

Against her better judgement, Thirteen entered the living room. It took her a few steps before she was met with the cause of the heavy atmosphere.

Naam was circling another woman in the large space that the living room provided. Her entire form spilled with unrestrained power despite her nearly virgin-white blouse being ruined with blood and tears. Her black dress pants were in the same state of disarray. The look in her clear brown eyes was so steady and predatory, Thirteen almost backed away then and there. Thankfully, the unknown woman was catching most of the intensity.

It wasn't until she caught sight of the delighted smile that Naam was sporting that she realized they were the cause of the choking atmosphere.

The blonde woman that was moving around her sire was sporting the same dangerous grin. Her green eyes were piercing and clouded by a dark pleasure that made Thirteen shiver. While Naam seemed to be barefoot, the woman was wearing black leather boots. She couldn't say whether the intricate red pattern was blood or not, but the fact that they were the only thing unblemished about her red and black ensemble drew her attention.

And then the two were involved in flurry of blows.

Thirteen could only stare as she watched the most elaborate and deadly dance she had ever witnessed. Her mind wouldn't even categorize it as a fight because the women's movements were so in tune, graceful, and violent at the same time that they put the most impressive duet to shame. Long hair whipped around in the air, teeth were bared, eyes were sharp, hands were balled into fists and actions were calculated.

It took her a moment to realize that Naam was then thrown to the ground. The sheer force of the impact shook the house, startling Thirteen out of her bewildered state of mind. Naam was successfully pinned to the ground by the unknown woman. The way she looked down at her prey – Thirteen did a double take at that thought – made her seem like a proud lioness that had proven her dominance. Their short but intense choreography had the blonde's chest heaving, and when Thirteen focused, she could hear her heart pounding through the music. The slowly fading bruises on her forearms and the split lip left her even more confused.

What could possibly live and be able to take on Naam like that?

Thirteen felt like she was intruding when the two of them shared a look. Both of them radiated dominance, but neither one of them was being submitted despite what their positions were implying. Both observations were further reinforced when Naam was allowed to lean up to lick at the cut in the woman's lip with the flat of her tongue. It was almost a caring, pacifying gesture. The tiny injury stitched together and disappeared within seconds. With the action, the danger in the air dissipated slightly, making place for another kind of electrifying emotion.

Naam backed away, never really touching the ground as she studied the woman on top of her with a serious expression. "Are you wearing watermelon flavoured chapstick?" she asked, a grimace reflecting in her words.

Another track started playing. It still carried the same general ambience, but was less aggressive.

The woman raised an eyebrow before wiping her lips with her sleeve. "Not anymore," she lilted in a definite Australian accent. Thirteen had expected them to continue on like she wasn't there with the way they were acting, but then they both looked up at her at the same time. The atmosphere dampened until all that was left was the music.

Green eyes observed her curiously as the woman got off Naam. She inhaled once. "Remy," she guessed, though it sounded more like a statement.

Thirteen glanced at Naam, who was studying a bite in her side that closed swiftly. When her attention turned back to the blonde, she was approaching her. Thirteen felt threatened by her for obvious reasons, but she simply held out her hand.

"Rose," she offered.

Thirteen took her hand carefully, startled when she was met with Naam's brief chuckle.

"You laugh it up." Rose turned to the older vampire. "Next time I'm demanding the anagram and you can be Fakey McFakerson." She took notice of Thirteen's bewildered expression when she gave the brunette another once over. "How much did you tell her?"

"Remy was still recovering from her change," Naam said matter-of-factly, tugging off a sleeve that was only barely hanging from a few strings.

Rose rolled her eyes at the answer, obviously not impressed. How anyone could disagree with her sire was beyond her, but here it was happening. "How much did she tell you about me?" she asked Thirteen.

"Nothing."

"That's not true," Kutner interrupted, walking in on the conversation. Thirteen shot him a strange look, wondering if he knew about what she stumbled across and if he could've stopped her. "I told you about her several times."

Rose folded her arms, shooting them an expectant look. It suddenly clicked.

"_She's_ your pack leader?" she asked him, bordering on being incredulous.

He nodded sagely, and Rose simply smirked.

"We have to talk," the blonde ordered.

"After we have disposed of our uninvited guests," Naam interjected, rejoining them in an impeccable white dress. Nobody seemed surprised that she had changed that quickly in the few seconds she disappeared into the background. "Kutner, Remy, would you be so kind as to prepare dinner?" She turned to Rose, but the blonde held up her hand, interrupting whatever she was going to say.

"I'll go change," she said, shooting Naam a look that all but said 'happy now?' The vampire's lips twitched up into a smile in response.

Thirteen glanced between them, suddenly feeling like she caught her mother flirting with her boyfriend. She had never seen this much human reactions in her sire and it was as unsettling as it was unexpected. Naam's features simply melted into a relaxed expression as her eyes settled on her childe. "I'll be right back," she announced, breezing into the yard.

* * *

Cameron nearly jumped out of her skin when the blur of white appeared next to her. She didn't even think to explain her presence as she stared up into the eyes of the dark-skinned woman before her. The fact that she was wearing something that looked like a summer dress in this cold weather was the first hint towards trouble.

"You." The woman didn't move a muscle, but her eyes were focused on Lucas with an intensity Cameron was glad she was missing out on. The pressure in her gaze immediately reminded her of Thirteen, but there was something distinctively different about the general vibe this woman gave off. She had always thought that Thirteen was the epitome of control, but the woman achieved the same – better even –effect with barely a hint of effort. "This isn't the house you're looking for," she finished eventually.

"Damn." Lucas frowned, looking genuinely convinced that he was at a wrong place despite the lack of rational arguments. For a moment Cameron thought he was faking it, until the woman continued talking.

"You didn't meet Ms. Cameron here nor did you see anything interesting," she suggested, taking a step closer. Cameron took a step back while Lucas kept staring into dark eyes. "In fact, you were just leaving this hole in the wall."

The man then walked away as if nothing happened, taking the suggestion to heart.

"Now, Ms. Cameron, if you please." The woman held out her hand, shooting her a pleasant smile that Cameron was unable to verify as real. Despite what all her instincts were telling her, she took the offered hand. Chills immediately shot down her arm and up her back. The hand was freezing to the touch.

"Who are you?" she asked, surprised that her voice wasn't shaking.

"I made Thirteen into what she is," she answered as she led them through the garden. "My name is Naam."

* * *

**Cameron's many friends were Chase, in this case.**** He had probably called Lucas, like, instantly.**

**If I haven't replied to your review it's not because I think you stink, because let's face it, I can't smell you over the internet LOL -ahem- Anyway. My inbox has always been a mess, so don't take it personally.**

**Songs that were most likely playing during/after the fight:  
****Curve – Chinese burn  
****Lacuna Coil – Swamped  
****Muse – Undisclosed desires**

**PS. Starwars reference, anyone? xD**


	18. Chapter 17

"Okay, what the hell was that?" Thirteen asked, vaguely waving towards the living room. Kutner was in the process of gathering ingredients for dinner and laying out utensils that he was going to need. "Why were Naam and Rose trying to kill each other?"

Kutner poked his head out over the door of the fridge, shooting her a sceptical look. "Were they really?" he shot back before rummaging around some more.

"I don't know, it looked like…" She frowned, thinking back to the explicit dance and what kind of atmosphere hung in the air.

"They were having sex," he finished, closing the door and giving Thirteen a pointed look. She gaped at him. Sure, there was more than a little sexual tension, but if they did consummate, then she definitely missed it. All that she saw was the fight, which was an impressive thing to behold.

Kutner's snigger shook her out of her stupor. He was messing around with her. She shot him a glare as he continued to express his amusement and began to cook pasta. "Jerk," she said simply, unable to help but smile a little herself.

"You should've seen your face," he said laughingly.

Thirteen rolled her eyes playfully, moving to sit on the counter. "Seriously though, what were they doing?"

Instead of answering, Kutner's head snapped in the direction of the kitchen entrance. It was then that Thirteen heard the footfalls of the high heeled boots Rose wore. The man's reaction might have been a little too dramatic in her opinion, but sure enough, there appeared the blonde. Her arms were folded in front of her chest and she sported a dangerous, cocky grin.

"We were polishing," she answered for Kutner, approaching them so that she stood across from them at the other side of the counter.

"Polishing what?" Thirteen asked, raising her brows. Kutner returned to work once the attention was diverted away from him.

"Memories, skills, the floor, each other," she listed lazily, grabbing an apple from a fruit bowl nearby. "What does it matter?" The woman took a generous bite from her apple, watching them both. Kutner suddenly seemed very busy with cutting up vegetables while Thirteen simply waited for her to say something else or disappear. Rose swallowed the bite. "Do you want to be with Allison?"

Thirteen frowned, and almost sneered. Though the woman had probably every right to be there, she had no right to interfere with her life. "That's none of your business."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," she said simply, studying the bite she took from her apple. "It's not like I'm asking for your social security number. It's a simple yes or no question."

Thirteen narrowed her eyes at her. It wasn't until she caught Kutner looking up at her expectantly that she remembered she was amongst friends – or at least something close to it. Reluctantly, she nodded.

"Good," Rose said, smiling in a way that made the brunette think she was happy to get business over with. "Then I have an offer for you."

* * *

Cameron didn't know where to look. She knew how to handle Thirteen, but the brunette didn't carry this level of natural majesty. If she was told Naam used to be a queen – or pharaoh, judging from her appearance – from a long forgotten era, she wouldn't have been surprised. As it was, Naam had led her by the hand the first few feet, then released her. There was no way for her to know what proper etiquette was in this situation. Did she walk slightly behind the woman? Was she allowed to look? Would it be okay if she asked the questions that were burning on her tongue?

She glanced at Naam from the corner of her eyes, and froze when dark eyes met hers.

"Remy had Huntington's." Cameron saw her lips moving and knew the sound came from her, but the meaning of the words lagged behind momentarily. As her eyes trailed over smooth, dusky skin to make eye contact again, she saw the woman waiting for her reaction patiently. It snapped her out of her daze.

"What?" she asked, the mention of Remy dispelling the impressive aura.

"Ten years ago, I met Dr. Remy Beauregard Hadley during most unfortunate circumstances," she explained, the dull whisper of the wind melting into the background under the influence of the crystal clear voice. "To be honest, the smell of blood drew my attention. You see, I met her during the Seattle slaughter. A sad, deranged individual had emptied his automatic into an unsuspecting crowd several times and then shot himself. She was better off than most of the forty-six victims and still able to talk. " Naam gestured calmly with a hand to further illustrate her story. "She could have survived, she could have lived on, but she saw me feed, so you understand that I had to take precautions."

Cameron listened, awe-struck by the imagery the words conjured. Naam's eyes found the house, and Cameron glanced in the same direction, but found no one standing near the windows or anywhere else in sight. When she turned her attention to the vampire again, she could recognize a forlorn glint in her eyes.

"I had no intention of killing her," she continued, a sad smile painting her lips. "But I must have been quite an appearance with the all the blood smears decorating my clothes, because she told me she didn't want to die. I could have walked away, but instead I sat with her and listened to her story." Her eyes found Cameron's again, and she seemed to smile genuinely. "Mind you, I'm giving you the romanticised version of the occurrence."

Cameron nodded. She wanted to respond, say that she understood, but couldn't find any appropriate words to express herself.

"I have heard many pleas in my long life, but none quite like hers. She was not in imminent danger, but had a death sentence she could not escape." She paused, seeming to contemplate her words. "She rushed through life like no one should. I felt sorry for her," she said, trailing off. Her eyes filled with resolution. "Don't get the wrong idea, I do not propose this to just anyone. There are strict rules even I must adhere to. However, the situation presented itself and she carried a sober intellect that is hard to come by. I gave her the choice to live a cursed life."

"And she accepted," Cameron filled in, processing the information. With Thirteen's past finally portrayed, she, as a person, suddenly made so much more sense. "Wait. Why are you telling me this?"

"There are some things you need to know before you confront her," Naam replied, and Cameron's eyes grew wide in the realization that she was going to see Thirteen again. A small amused smile appeared on the vampire's lips as her eyes flickered down to below her neckline. Her heartbeat had increased. "While I could have simply told you she lied to create a clean break, you would think her a cold-hearted monster instead of a human in shambles."

"She lied," Cameron breathed, the statement stunning her with unprecedented relief.

"She lied because she's still very much human," Naam supplied. She waited until she had the blonde's attention once again. "There is no doubt Remy will overcome this phase, but whatever the future may hold in store, we believe that any influence you may have over her is a positive one."

Cameron heard that something important was coming from the way she was building momentum in her speech, so all she did was listen carefully.

"Therefore, we have decided to propose the following to you."

* * *

"That's not my decision to make," Thirteen said, shaking her head. "That is, even _if_ she forgives me."

"Nonsense," Rose responded, taking another bite from her apple and swallowing it in her own time. "It's everyone's decision." She glanced at the only man in the room. "Except Kutner, he's just here because he likes to break things."

"Hey!" he protested, practically pouting.

"So?" Rose asked, ignoring Kutner.

Thirteen stared thoughtfully into the open air, giving it a moment before answering. "Only if she consents."

Rose simply shot her such a look that she might have as well said, 'What do you think we are, stupid?' but all that came out of her mouth was, "Perfect."

* * *

Cameron wasn't so much impressed when she saw the inside of the large mansion. For that cliché, she was actually prepared. What she was impressed by was Rose, who walked up to meet them once they stepped through the glass sliding door. She grinned at them in all her smug glory, coming to a halt in front of them. "Dr. Cameron," she greeted.

"Rose?" she asked, approaching her as her eyes trailed up and down the woman's figure to check for any injuries. She appeared in perfect working order. "What happened to your leg?" The last time she had checked, her leg was still very much broken.

"Yes, Rose, what _did_ happen to your leg?" Naam asked from behind Cameron, arms folded and eyes holding a sharp quality to them.

"I only broke it right before the x-ray," she explained as if it was no big deal. Cameron's eyes widened once she realized she wasn't joking. "Flinging myself before a truck only works for so long."

Cameron gaped. If she was a supernatural being, then her entire condition had to be fake. "What about the coma?"

Even though the doctor wasn't facing Naam, she could almost feel the room temperature lower as the vampire spoke. "We have to talk." Rose looked up, appearing to be exasperated more than anything.

"Remy is in the kitchen," she told Naam, offering the fact as an explanation. "Don't we have to—"

"_Now_," Naam insisted, and for the live of it Cameron couldn't understand why Rose wasn't already running in the direction of a more private place. The blonde simply executed an epic eye roll, shooting Cameron one last look before sauntering off wordlessly. "Remy, it's rude to stare," the vampire commented as she followed Rose to some unknown destination, glancing in the direction of the kitchen.

Cameron's eyes immediately found the younger vampire a good distance away, standing in an archway. Piercing blue eyes were focused on her, taking her in greedily despite her usual motionless posture. Cameron had to remind herself to breathe. That chalk white skin, the warm brown hair, the flawless features, the natural fluidity of her movements as she made her way over – she was much more beautiful than she remembered.

"Hey," Thirteen greeted her. The way she stuffed her hands in her pockets and averted her eyes briefly was the only sign of her nervousness.

Cameron's lips parted as she took in the woman before her. She had forgotten how beautiful the woman was, but also how much human emotions were swirling underneath that incredible exterior.

And just like that it didn't matter anymore.

She might have hurt her more than was necessary, but Thirteen was so wonderfully human and equally fragile, that all she could do was close in the distance and take her into her arms.

For a moment, she was the only one clinging to that familiar, cool body. Thirteen was too dumbstruck to realize what was happening. She had expected to be hit, to be scolded, to be broken up with permanently, to hear that Cameron was expecting Chase's baby, anything but to be forgiven and embraced as soon as they were two feet removed from each other.

The arms squeezing her waist startled her out of her state of mind. Hesitantly, still not sure whether she was being hugged in the heat of the moment, she slipped her hands from her pockets and wrapped them around the warmth that was enveloping her. Even as she slowly relaxed into the embrace, she found that something crucial was missing.

Cameron managed to breathe a laugh and sob at the same time when Thirteen pressed a nose into her neck, inhaling deeply.

A soft rumbling vibrated against her chest.

* * *

**THE END.**

**No, j/k, hahaha.**

**-premature 300th review dance-**

**Does this story need a little Naam/Rose? So far, I haven't gotten any complaints, but sometimes I get annoyed with OCs in fanfiction... so... Y/N?**

**ps. I'm not sure what my beta is up to, but there are hints that she's unavailable. I gave it the benefit of the doubt and went ahead and updated, which will probably turn out to be the stupid thing to do.**


	19. Chapter 18

Cameron let out a satisfied breath as she exited the hospital after her first day on the job. She had taken quite some time off and had been pleasantly surprised to be met with nothing but understanding. Even House proclaimed it was a vacation to bleach their old janitor from her heart with inappropriate sexcapades in foreign countries. A pleasant vacation was as far from the truth as possible, however. There had been the obvious trepidation when she accepted Naam's proposal, but after continuous reassurance – both about her health and her life in society – she had gone through with it.

After infection she had been lying in bed for at least a week with what Rose called the shivers. Personally, she liked to call it hell. The reset of her DNA – another euphemism for excruciating, writhing agony – had been initiated by a simple injection, and if she were to believe the pack of unnaturals, it was still in progress. The transformation had sounded easy enough, but the simplicity of the syringe filled with blood belied its complications.

_And pain_, she added mentally, making her way to her car. _Especially the pain._

Taking the light-hearted way in which she was told about the physical reset, she could only imagine what the mental reset was all about. They hadn't told her what to expect, just that she would "notice" the adaption and that she should call one of them when it occurred. Apparently, the time in which the brain and newly evolved body became fully synced varied with everyone. Of course, as a doctor, she had about a million questions and more about how everything worked, but it was a most tightly kept secret. Just in case one of their Childes or Cubs – as Rose had so respectfully dubbed her kin of lower rank, which was pretty much everyone – went haywire and exposed themselves to the public.

She fished out her car keys, halting when she saw her reflection in the window. To her, she looked no different than before, but she had been no stranger to the new intensity in Thirteen's eyes when she was observing her. The brunette had brushed it aside as an effect of her sharpened senses, but Cameron hadn't felt superior in any way as of yet. She was reassured that they only had reason to worry if she didn't notice any changes after the mental reset, so she did the only thing she could do: simply go with it.

The wind picked up slightly, carrying with it a familiar, warm scent.

"Are you just going to stand there all night or are you going to say hi?" she asked as she unlocked her car, a smile tugging at her lips.

Thirteen's smiling reflection appeared beside her in the glass. "How did you know I was here?"

"Simple." Cameron shot the woman a mischievous look, eyes sparkling with amusement. "I just followed the trail of swooning nurses."

Thirteen chuckled, guilty as charged, and leaned with her side against the door. Cameron's breath caught as she caught a glimpse of sharp canines. As much as she was around the woman these days, she never seemed to be able to get used to both her presence and supernatural aspect. "Are you ever going to let me live that down?"

"I don't know," she said, feeling like a high school student with a crush as she grinned at her. "I might need some convincing."

There it was; the new intensity in those clear eyes. They seemed to become sharper, darker and brighter all at the same time as they focused on Cameron. The way Thirteen slinked closer until they were standing hip to hip was no small indication of what her intentions were. Cameron refused to show how that look affected her and met her approach unflinchingly. She could almost feel her skin tingle as the hairs rose in the back of her neck. At the last possible moment, however, Thirteen halted, eyes dropping to the misting breaths between them. Though the taller woman's breath came cold against her lips, Cameron imagined that hers must've been quite warm in comparison.

"You're hot," Thirteen stated in a somewhat confused tone. Before Cameron could even think to thank her for such a blatant compliment, ice cold hands slid across her cheeks and inquisitive eyes were studying her. The cold should've bothered her, but the chill barely reached past her skin. In fact, the cool flesh felt nice in a refreshing kind of way. It was probably how Rose could enjoy Naam's touches unflinchingly. "Do you feel uncomfortable?"

The sudden change in her demeanour threw Cameron off, but she answered nevertheless. "No, the cold doesn't bother me anymore."

A small smile tugged at Thirteen's lips as her attention was drawn to blue eyes. "That's good." Cold fingers carefully tilted open her mouth, and Cameron allowed it, albeit with a somewhat confused frown. "Your fangs are showing," Thirteen announced in a careful, scientific tone that could only belong to a doctor. Canines were indeed protruding above as well as below. It seemed like a small difference, but the brunette knew for a fact that the sharpness resembled in no way with the human variety.

Cameron's frown deepened, knowing for a fact that nothing in her mouth was out of the ordinary, and carefully tested her teeth with her tongue. Nothing felt strange or out of place.

Thirteen gave her a knowing look before passing her thumb over one of the upper canines. The razor sharp teeth cut open her skin with the barest of brushes. The barely mentionable sting was more than worth the blonde's expression.

Cameron was momentarily dazed at the new sensations the smell of blood evoked in her. It smelled exactly the same, yet it was somehow more potent and at least ten times more present. Strangest of all, it smelled edible, like instincts telling her that the scent of a freshly baked cake meant an appetizing treat. She ran her tongue along her teeth once more as Thirteen withdrew her hands, gathering any remaining blood. It smelled of blood, it tasted of blood, but where there was once a strong distaste for even the thought of tasting it, having considerably more became a very real and tasty proposition. Even though it didn't feel like she would go mad if she didn't get more, she could understand what Thirteen had gone through in the beginning.

"Strange, isn't it?" Thirteen asked, licking at her small cut. Cameron didn't follow her hand as it dropped to her side, knowing the wound would close on its own, and simply looked at the other women in wonder.

"It tastes… good," Cameron affirmed both to the vampire and herself. Her eyes dropped down to Thirteen's neckline, but for the life of it, she couldn't imagine herself doing anything remotely unholy to the unblemished skin. She eyed the brunette curiously. "Aren't we supposed to be different?"

"We are," Thirteen answered as she walked around the car to the passenger's side. She opened the door, an action that Cameron copied soon after. "Cubs eat everything," she said with an amused glint in her eyes, and got into the car.

Cameron sighed. She was going to hear that a lot.

* * *

Rose sat on the couch, not quite watching the exploding cars and spurting blood on TV. Her eyes were resting on Naam and her impeccable composure as she spoke to one of her Childe that had run an errand for her.

Naam folded an arm across her chest and turned to look outside through the large sliding door. Rose tilted her head ever so slightly as she appraised the other woman in a moment of unawareness. She had always had a warm appearance - dark hair, tanned skin and inviting brown eyes - and Rose knew that was originally how she was like. Naam used to smile and laugh, used to hug, used to touch freely, but most of all, she used to love the sun.

Even though she would never admit it, memories tugged at her heart. Memories of them simply being outside in the sun together, visiting settlements, camping, hunting. Naam moved - _breathed_ - freely, without the constraint of being undead. Even in her sleep she looked alive and breathtaking. Not that she wasn't breathtaking now, but there was something decidedly melancholic about the idea of Naam shielding her eyes from the sun, wearing a playful smile as she regained her breath from chasing a troublesome child through tall grass.

Rose shifted on the couch until she was sitting sideways. If it hadn't been for Naam's consistent talking about whatever pressing matters were being discussed, she could have thought that the vampire was inanimate.

She wished life wouldn't erode over time. She wished life _hadn't_ eroded in Naam. It was an extremely long and arduous process and she could hardly count the years anymore, but her cold exterior had definitely seeped into her personality. Naam had always been the affectionate one, making pointless gestures like plucking daisies from the side of the road and walking together hand in hand. But now those days were over and the woman almost matched her own practical ideas of romance.

She frowned down at the coffee table. She didn't miss those frivolous actions, but she did miss Naam flaunting her happiness like she wasn't just restricted to existing during the night.

"Rose?" Naam's dark, concerned eyes were peering into her own. She kneeled down in front of her. "You're crying."

Rose scoffed, and batted away the vampire's attempt to wipe away imaginary tears. She quickly swiped at the moist in her eyes with her sleeve. "Don't be ridiculous. There's something in my eye."

"Both of them?" she asked, offering a placating, amused smile like only she could. Rose could almost ignore the ashen colour of her tan skin and see the sunlight pour in through the windows.

Her eyebrow twitched. No lie got past the immortal – ill-conceived ones included. "Shut up and breathe like you mean it," she grumbled, waiting for the not-so-familiar rise and fall of her chest before pretending to watch the screen again.

Naam stood up wordlessly, but even so, Rose could practically feel her curious gaze prodding her for answers. The dark-haired woman moved to sit behind her, carefully moulding herself to the shorter woman's back and wrapping her arms around her middle in an intimate embrace. Rose couldn't even bring it in herself to fake reluctance at such an obvious emotionally laden action. "You always tell me that when you're troubled," she murmured into blonde hair, a steady rush of air blowing against her skin as she imitated life.

Rose simply clenched her jaw and pretended to be engrossed in pointless violence. The silence wore on and the understanding was suffocating to the point that she could take it no more. She scowled at the TV in bitter frustration even as Naam pressed her mouth and nose to her neck in an affectionate nuzzle. There was never any danger despite the possibility of being bitten, only a trust that came to be after so many lifetimes spent together, yet it was the most exquisite torture she had ever tasted.

A purr rumbled reassuringly against her back, and she couldn't help but smile at the bittersweet emotions it evoked. It was both a reminder of what they had gained and what they had lost.

Chilled lips pressed a quick kiss to warm skin. "Come on." She gave a squeeze before making a move to get up. "I don't want you to pout all through the night."

Rose scoffed, shooting Naam an unimpressed look. "I do not _pout_."

"What are you going to do about it?" Naam taunted, slowly making her way over to the hallway. "Eyeball me to death?"

The blonde narrowed her eyes warningly from her place on the couch, but Naam simply smiled as she disappeared into the hallway.

Rose shifted on the couch, glancing at the screen momentarily. She wasn't going after her. It was obvious the vampire was taunting her out of her brooding episode with petty insults. Naam had succeeded before, but she wouldn't now. Years of practice had made her immune to the woman's manipulative behaviour.

Her eyes flickered over to the doorway.

Oh, who was she kidding?

She turned off the TV and followed the distinct sound of a chuckle.

* * *

**This chapter... must be very disappointing after such a long wait.**

**Or maybe I'm too subjective.**

**Anyway, let me know if you're still following this since I haven't updated in FOREVER and more-than-possibly lost readers. Maybe I should just... end it here (because I'm bad at endings, I mean xD).**


	20. Chapter 19

It was during a lull in their conversation and when Thirteen saw an unspectacular street flash by through the car window that the air around them changed. One moment they were jokingly discussing Kutner's role at Naam's home and the next the atmosphere was charged with a foreboding quality that made her skin tighten, almost as if preparing to react to some impending danger. Suddenly edgy and almost panicking for reasons that were beyond her, her eyes sought Cameron, who was driving the car calmly. It was a decidedly strange experience. Thirteen knew that even if they did crash it wouldn't be that big of a deal with the rate at which they healed, and there were no other possible dangers that they couldn't handle.

Noticing the strange look Thirteen was sending her, Cameron flickered her eyes over to the brunette, catching a glimpse of the distressed look. It made her slightly antsy that a mighty vampire could get nervous over something. "What is it?" The other woman didn't seem to snap out of it at her question. "Are you hungry?" she guessed, finding it increasingly harder to focus on the road.

"Do you feel it too?" Thirteen asked right back. The feeling was persistent, intensifying, and she wished Cameron would just pull over and let her out already, because something was definitely wrong. "Pull over."

"Why? What should I feel?" Despite her questioning, she searched for a place to park and found a spot at the end of the street. All the while, she could not seem to keep her focus away from Thirteen. She had become the epicentre of her attention since the woman's tense reaction. Cameron was barely able to park without running over a stray pedestrian.

"You're sweating," Thirteen remarked, unbuckling her seatbelt simply because she felt she needed to. "You feel it too."

"Stop saying that and tell me what's going on!" Cameron snapped, pointedly turning to the other woman. Seeing that Thirteen had unbuckled her seatbelt, she did the same. "You're scaring me."

It was only when Cameron had undone her seatbelt and gave her an imploring look that Thirteen understood where the feelings were coming from. Blue eyes shone with a newly acquired health. The blonde's entire demeanour had become impressive. Every aspect about her triumphed over the normalcy that was humanity. She had only been dumbstruck for a moment, but it was enough for Cameron to realize much the same, for suddenly she was surrounded by Thirteen's scent, and every superfluous breath resounded loudly in her ears. It felt like she was pressed up against the brunette, only there was a good distance between them and they were in no way touching.

A mistake that could easily be corrected.

Thirteen's eyes widened as Cameron's eyes flashed with intent.

* * *

Jeanette, mother of two, wife of her dear, dear husband, had decided to walk home that day. She breathed in deeply, taking in the fresh evening air. It had been a good choice. Needless to say, with that promotion in the bag that finally allowed her to determine her own working hours, she was in a good mood. A very good mood.

But she still let out a shriek of surprise when the car to her left suddenly opened and a woman tumbled out backwards. The brunette who was lying on the ground briefly glanced up at her, shooting her an awkward smile. "Hi."

"Um… hey."

The woman's remarkably clear eyes widened before she shot the other occupant of the car a scolding look. "No! No, you're not yourself right now!" she said, pulling her legs out the rest of the way and into the safety of her own personal bubble. Despite the clear rip in her jeans around her thigh, she stood up with a grace that surprised Jeanette.

Maybe she was a ballerina.

"You can't just leave me like this." A blonde sporting a desperate look popped her head out of the car.

"I _have_ to," the brunette corrected. "I'll see you at the mansion." With that, the woman ran off.

The striking blonde woman looked up at her, not quite able to wipe the desperate look off her face. "Hey," she offered awkwardly.

"Hi," Jeanette answered, only now noticing that she had grasped at her heart in her jump. She lowered her hands.

The blonde looked around awkwardly. "Well, good night," she said, not waiting for an answer as she closed the car door.

Jeanette stared a little more before snapping out of it. That was a decidedly strange occurrence between two beautiful women.

With a shrug, she continued on home.

* * *

Thirteen came to a halt in the central hall, carefully listening for Naam and Rose's whereabouts. The first thing to assault her senses was the overwhelming smell of blood, though there were no sounds to hint towards why the house reeked of the delicious, rich scent.

She rolled her eyes in a way that would make Rose proud, mouth watering despite herself. It didn't go past her that Naam and Rose were anything but gentle with each other when they so felt the need for it, but that was the fourth time that week. With an eternity together, she'd thought that certain desires would diminish, but apparently that wasn't the case with her sire.

In the process of constructing a plan to disrupt their time together that didn't require Thirteen to interrupt and possibly do something stupid, she noticed something about the smells that hung around the house.

She glanced at the stairs warily, taking in a deep breath. While it was usually the scent of Rose's more earthy blood that hung heavily in the air, now it was accompanied by Naam's maddeningly sweet one along with the stench of garlic.

Her eyes widened as she placed the smell.

"_You won't hurt me." Rodriguez pulled himself to his feet and smiled crookedly from beneath a mop of unruly dark hair. The thick stench of garlic that hung around him almost scared away the rats. "I'm immune," he sniggered, lifting his arms to present himself._

Thirteen disappeared in a blur as she raced up the stairs. It was maybe a second later that she burst into the grand bedroom, the door already hanging from its hinges when she entered. What she saw inside made her rethink the practical use of the soundproof quality of the house. A giant beast at least three times her size was fending off a pack of smaller wolves, tearing through limbs and fur with claws and gleaming teeth, only for others to replace the fallen animals. Continuous growls, yipping and furious snarls were the things audible in the room. Wooden furniture lay spread around the room in shards, the bed a mutilated heap of recyclables of when the clash no doubt took a turn for the worst. The scent of blood and violence hung heavy in the air, which was probably the only reason why Thirteen's relatively unremarkable presence went by unnoticed as the brutal clash continued.

She quickly took cover in the shadows, behind what had been a dresser. Thirteen had been on high alert ever since she was met with the scent of garlic, but what had her worried to death was that the werewolf – Rose, hopefully – was fighting for its life, while Naam could order animals down with a flick of her hand. Even though she possessed much the same characteristics as the ancient vampire, she could not calm down _and_ order a pack of rabid animals, much less a werewolf.

Where had the animals come from?

More importantly, where was Naam?

A wave of panic flooded over her, instantly making her forget about anything else outside of the room. She wasn't ready yet to live on without her sire. The thought alone scared her to death. Whether it was the bond that made her think that or the strange mother-daughter relationship they had developed, she wasn't sure, but she had no time to contemplate her reasoning. Her eyes ripped the room apart as she searched for Naam.

Thankfully, her search was cut short when she spotted an eerily familiar body lying in the corner of the room, propped up against the wall in a sitting position. A wooden stake with intricate, cut out designs on the handle protruded from her chest. Before she knew what was happening, instinct had dictated her to rush over and pull out the offending object. The wound didn't heal and the woman remained immobile. She didn't know whether to cry or to growl in frustration, so instead she continued to listen to her instincts.

A howl behind her was interrupted by another sickening crack as another rabid animal was disposed of.

She paid it no mind, her fangs finding her wrist before she pushed the bleeding limb against Naam's mouth. For several long, arduous moments nothing happened. Thirteen, on the verge of leaving her sire and escaping the massacre behind her, startled when lips moved against her flesh. Naam's eyes flashed open, revealing an astounding bright colour of blue.

It was in the next moment that Thirteen found herself on her back, a sharp pain shooting through her neck. She shouldn't have liked it – hell, she shouldn't have _squirmed in euphoria_ as another vampire fed off her, but she did. She grasped futilely at the white material that covered ashen shoulders, vaguely aware that something was ripping as she fisted the cotton. The ripped sweater fell from Naam's shoulder, and with the new lack of grip, Thirteen proceeded to grasp at bare skin.

Her mouth fell open in what would have been a silent gasp. Along with her body, her mind sang at being able to sustain her precious sire in such a way. Maybe it was a reflection of Naam's state of mind or maybe this was simply how it felt to be bitten, but for an endless moment she couldn't seem to grasp reality as she was swept away by the endless pleasure scorching a path through her veins.

As much as she held on physically, she felt herself slipping more and more until she was strangely calm all over. Thirteen's sluggish mind registered how Naam slowly pulled away, the woman's long, dark hair creating a curtain around them that somehow separated them from the outside world and its noises. Reassuring dark eyes and bloodied lips came into view. Something cold dripped onto her cheek, mouth, until she felt soft, wet lips press against her own. It was an almost apologetically soft gesture, and despite being unable to reciprocate or think clearly, the thought that it was the best she ever had crossed her mind. She couldn't think of a reason why at that moment, but if felt like the thought wasn't entirely her own.

"Thank you," Naam whispered softly, still so close that Thirteen could feel the cold rush of air against her skin as she spoke. "Today, you have repaid your dept." The brunette reached out meekly as the older vampire stood up and faced the butchering without hesitation.

The remaining wolves whimpered and backed away as soon as Naam approached, even the ragged breathing from the werewolf calmed down and all eyes focused on the ancient. In the calm she could finally spot Rodriguez off to the side, giggling madly and clapping his hands at the scene. His cheery behaviour melted away as soon as the peace returned to the place.

"No! No! This is all wrong!" he spat.

* * *

Cameron entered the mansion, instantly hit with a strange array of smells she could not distinguish from each other. She covered her nose with a sleeve, grimacing. What she could make out was that Thirteen's scent was amongst them and that blood was predominant.

Deciding quickly, she rushed up the stairs.

* * *

"Killing us won't end your curse," Naam said.

"No, but it will!" Rodriguez stood still in front of the vampire, and Thirteen wondered vaguely why he was so calm even though Naam's wrath was a very realistic possibility. "If you both die, I will have nothing to reincarnate to!"

Naam scrutinized him for an extended moment. "This mortal body has polluted your mind."

He pulled out a gun, making the werewolf take a step forward and growl. Naam remained unmoving as she watched him wave around the silver piece. "No! This is the first time I've seen it all clearly!" His expression was stuck between elated and convinced as he waved around the gun as if it couldn't accidentally go off and kill him. "I'm not here for the good of mankind. Mankind is doomed to fail anyway, so we should just end all their suffering!" He raised his gun at Naam, aiming for the head. "Starting with you."

In the time that it took for Thirteen to blink away her blurry vision, a shot resounded. Naam was holding Rodriguez by the wrist, pointing the gun away, and held him by the throat with her other hand. If it hadn't been for the startled look on the vampire's face, Thirteen would have never noticed the figure standing in the doorway, holding bloodied hands over her stomach.

Cameron looked down at her trembling hands dripping with a sizzling red liquid that couldn't be hers. The last thing she heard before everything went black was a desperate call.

"_Allison_!"

* * *

"Allison."

Cameron startled awake, a hand shaking her gently by the shoulder. She sat up in her chair, eyes searching the room – diagnostics? – until they fell on the man that awoke her. "Chase?" she asked incredulously. "Where's Remy?"

Chase furrowed his eyebrows, watching as Cameron regained her bearings. Instead of responding to her question – to which he didn't know the answer anyway, he rested a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Then she remembered being shot. She glanced down her body, patting down the surface until she was sure there wasn't a gaping hole adorning her stomach. Sure enough, nothing was wrong with her. The clearer her mind got, the more things she realized. First were the construction workers at home that made sleeping almost impossible.

"Did you go home at all last night?" he asked, his frown deepening with worry.

Cameron sighed. There was a file in front of her on the table. She had been working on their current case and had fallen asleep in the progress. "Yeah," she breathed, calming down. "I mean, no." She shook her head, vaguely gesturing to her work. "I think I fell asleep while trying to figure this out."

Chase shook his head in both amusement and concern, then moved to put away his coat. "I told you to go home and unplug your phone so you could sleep in."

"Yeah…" Cameron stared down at the notes she had made, not reading anything.

It had all been a dream.

* * *

After having excused herself from the room to freshen up, preferably by getting out of the wrinkled clothes she was wearing, Cameron strolled through the busy hall of the hospital. That had been the most explicit dream she'd had in forever. Aside from becoming a supernatural creature herself and other obvious aspects, it was pretty realistic too.

She slowed down her pace, frowning thoughtfully. Oh, who was she kidding? It had been unrealistic from A to Z. The only thing realistic about it was everyone's reaction at the hospital.

With a tired sigh, she looked around, searching for distractions. What she saw made her stop dead in her tracks. In one of the patient's rooms where the blinds hadn't been pulled closed entirely was lying a familiar blonde and next to her stood an equally familiar dark-skinned woman. The brown eyed woman appeared the same right down to the business attire and efficient body language. The only difference was the blatant emotion that she was displaying as she gnawed on a nail and hugged herself with her other arm. Her eyes were red from crying and an all too human flush coloured her cheeks.

It almost hurt to see Naam in such a state.

Cameron averted her eyes and moved on, not daring to look at whom she had dubbed Rose in her dream. It made her feel like reality was collapsing on her. Rose was not weak, and Naam was not human.

But most of all, Remy existed.

She walked on stubbornly.

She had to.

* * *

**Dear reviewers, I appreciate your input even though I haven't replied (or, well, **_**couldn't**_** reply) to your comments. I'll understand if you don't value the Naam/Thirteen moment I so subtly squeezed in, since, y'know, Naam is an OC and CAMERON APPEARS TO HAVE DREAMT IT ALL, AHAHAHA. **

**In my defence, it was all Heimdall's idea. **

**On that note, Heimdall, ilu. LOL.**

**THERE WILL BE A NEXT AND FINAL CHAPTER REGARDLESS. Hopefully beta-ed and between now and less-than-three-months.**

**Ps. "She wasn't ready yet to **_**live**_** on without her sire. The thought alone scared her to **_**death**_**." Am I the only one who lolled inappropriately at this? … Somehow, I have a feeling that I am xD**

**Triniredster;** That is a very good point. Maybe not a trial period, but a very long consideration time would've been better. Hm. Oh well. Cameron basically "transformed" all the way in this chapter.


	21. Chapter 20

Cameron didn't think she could school her disgusted expression even if she was prepared for what she saw next. Down the hallway, she saw Thirteen talking to another doctor. But her features didn't contort unpleasantly because she was stunned by her presence – the woman looked alive and by all means normal in her white lab coat – what bothered her was who she was talking to and how she was acting.

She watched as Thirteen laughed at something Foreman said and leaned into his personal space. His satisfied grin made her wince.

It was so wrong.

"Coming through!" A gurney rolled by, scraping her hip and startling her out of her stupor. It shouldn't have hurt as much, but a pain shot up through her stomach nevertheless. At first the pain was bearable, only getting a small cringe from her, but for some reason, it only intensified and soon she was doubling over, gasping for relief. The next thing she knew, her face was pressed against something cool. She couldn't remember the pain of falling to the floor, yet the world was tilted when she managed to open her eyes briefly. The cool linoleum of the hospital floor offered little relief from the pain that was suddenly rushing through her limbs.

Available doctors rushed to her side as she grasped at the source of all the pain; her stomach. Her blood felt like it was on fire, rushing to every part of her body and pounding in her ears, making it impossible for her to hear what people around her were saying. She was vaguely aware of a hand on her shoulder, of rolling onto her back, but everything failed to reach her through the scorching pain. Everything failed to reach her except for startling clear eyes.

Thirteen was among the people that had gathered around her, kneeling beside her. Her expression was oozing concern. Through the blinding pain, Cameron noticed that the brunette's complexion had paled considerably and that she was back to wearing clothes and makeup that was unbefitting for a doctor. The contrast dislodged her from reality, her surroundings swirling.

"Allison." The normally soothing voice rang painfully in her ears, making her cringe yet again. When her eyes reopened Foreman was standing behind the doctor, but her eyes blurred, and then Naam's form appeared. She said something, but the words didn't register with Cameron, along with the vampire's specific appearance. Everything was still mainly out of focus.

Thirteen mouthed a few words, but Cameron's mind was already escaping her body's pain, and the world turned black.

* * *

"What's happening?" Thirteen asked Naam, holding onto Cameron's hand as she lay in bed. As soon as they had the situation under control, which really only required for her to snap out of the paralysis and Rodriguez to be tied up, Thirteen had tended to the doctor. It had been ages since she last treated anybody, but she knew enough to conclude the wound was bad for a human, yet would be fine for a supernatural being. She'd been relieved until Naam told her Rodriguez had used silver bullets, which basically meant that she'd been poisoned.

After they had gotten her onto a bed, Naam announced that Cameron had a chance of surviving if she ingested her blood. It felt like she was telling her out of something akin to professional courtesy and would have done the necessary deed anyway, but Thirteen was too worried to decline. The woman's life far outweighed any side effects wherein Cameron fawned over Naam. So Naam parted with a considerable amount of her blood.

And then Cameron was writhing and mumbling incoherently. Thirteen was immensely relieved when she opened her eyes, and she quickly reached for the blonde's hand. Despite that she looked like she was struggling to keep conscious, the hand squeezing her own with surprising strength was oddly comforting.

Naam was staring intensely at the bedridden woman. "The silver poisoned her mind. She tried to escape the pain by creating a reality without us. Now that its effects are receding, she's trying to come back."

Thirteen frowned up at her sire. "How do you know all this?"

"I'm inside Allison," Naam said, still watching Cameron with undivided attention. The statement crept out Thirteen, especially with how she was watching her love interest, but she resorted to not thinking about how that sounded and questioned Naam about more important things.

"Why did Rodriguez try to kill us?" she asked, trying to be calm about the manner, but soon finding her nerves to be more than frayed. "Why are you even _protecting_ him? He's clearly insane!"

Naam didn't answer for a long while, and Thirteen almost thought this was one of her moods again until she started speaking. "I was turned first," she began, remaining as unmoving as ever. For a moment, Thirteen was distracted from their current situation. "It was a vindictive move of our opponents. Rose sought out the shape shifters to remain by my side. Another of our closest friends, Rodriguez, resorted to dark magic. He is cursed to be reincarnated with memories of previous lives intact." As she spoke, Cameron calmed down, her breathing returning to normal. "This time, his body was unable to house his mind."

Thirteen turned her attention back on the blonde as she processed the history. She felt like she should be saying something, but she had no idea how her sire must be feeling. There had been no friends who turned to dark magic for her back when she was turned.

Clear eyes fell on delicate features. Not until now, at least.

"She's going to be okay," Naam observed suddenly. "I'll let you two alone while I prepare for Rose's return."

"Wait." Thirteen shot the woman a look. "You mean that wasn't Rose?"

The corners or her mouth turned upwards into a conspiring smile. "My dear, if that had been Rose, this could've all been prevented." Her eyes flickered over to the door. "Excuse me."

Thirteen rubbed at her temple once Naam was gone. She'd never be any less surprised by anything the vampire decided to share with her. Despite some of the outrage about how much information she withheld, she could see the use in it.

"Remy?"

Thirteen's head shot up, finding Cameron looking awake and coherent. She inched forwards on her chair. "Yeah?"

"You're not dating Foreman, are you?" she asked, appearing genuinely concerned.

The brunette broke out into a nervous, relieved laugh.

* * *

It was only a day later and everything already felt like it was back to normal - as far as normal went, anyway. Despite the fact that Cameron was generally tired all day long, things even got a little _too_ normal. Nobody had even mentioned Rodriguez anymore, and it made Thirteen wonder if they'd slipped an overdose of morphine in his metaphorical drink. Thirteen got slightly restless when they were all watching TV like they were a functional family. She was lying on one of the couches with Cameron resting on top of her, head tucked securely beneath her chin. With her newly acquired supernatural body heat, she made a nice blanket. So nice, in fact, she had to make a conscious effort not to purr.

That was beside the point, however. What was getting on her nerves were the other occupants of the room. Naam was sitting on the opposite couch, looking through some papers and making notes here and there. Rose was draped across the same couch a remarkable distance away, seemingly content to watch the movie with her mate at her feet. Kutner was sitting in one of the unoccupied recliners, enthusiastically playing on his psp. He had turned off the volume in a moment of wisdom. In a house where everyone could hear your heartbeat, even earplugs were a nuisance.

The carefree situation was making Thirteen antsy. After such a long period of conflict and dilemma, the pause was getting under her skin. And then there might've been the tiny detail that the way Cameron's scent had changed and was driving her insane. Thankfully, Naam did something to distract them. She ran a hand through her hair, tucking some stray strands behind her ear.

Normally, Thirteen wouldn't have cared, except this time Cameron looked over. The brunette could feel her heart rate increasing. It was nowhere near the intensity it could achieve when they got intimate, but it was noticeable anyway. Everybody in the room knew what happened if one ingested a vampire's blood, yet nobody had acknowledged Cameron's sudden appeal towards Naam. Thirteen couldn't be angry, because the act had saved her life, but it still grated her in times like this.

Rose, perhaps the most aware of her surroundings, turned her head from the screen to shoot a curious look in Cameron and Thirteen's direction. While Thirteen was practically pouting at the TV in an effort to distract herself, Cameron was giving Naam an unmistakable look. Then Cameron finally seemed to realize who she was staring at, and flickered her eyes over to Rose, startling slightly when she met the werewolf's green eyes.

Rose simply raised an amused eyebrow, then looked over at Thirteen meaningfully before focusing back on the TV.

Cameron, taking the hint, turned her attention on the brunette. She craned her neck slightly and had to smile at the almost-pout Thirteen was doing her best to cover up. She might've been inexplicably smitten by Naam – and not to mention disturbed – yet only Thirteen managed to make her heart flutter whenever their eyes met. Which, granted, was a very cheesy way to describe it, but she had an eternity to improve her vocabulary and metaphors.

When she finally caught her lover's clear eyes, her smile widened. Thirteen returned the smile with a small one of her own. Cameron couldn't stand for the downtrodden hint that shone through and leaned in to press a chaste kiss to the corner of the other woman's mouth. It earned her a brighter smile and a raised eyebrow that challenged her. It was a challenge she had not trouble meeting, so she leaned in for another kiss. This time, it was reciprocated.

"Just get a room already," Rose remarked dryly.

They broke apart laughing.

* * *

**BOOM, THE END.**

**Yes, the end. I think it'll be safer to put us all out of our misery by just ending it right here. The OCs did their job of keeping the story alive a little longer, but I'm officially done!**

**Thank you, beta, friends, and reviewers *bows and exits stage***

**Ps. I'll accept any fanfics about the foursome that's sure to follow. LOL. No, just kidding. Rose'd kill something before that'd happen.  
****Pps. Despite this being the end, any and all reviews are still greatly appreciated :P**

**Heimdall; **Ahahaha, I knew you'd appreciate the reference. Well, actually, I didn't, but details xD At least you weren't flamed in the what reviews I received. And for a moment, I really considered the Alice in wonderland prank chapter, just so you know. If it didn't involve eating more of time, I'd totally have done it :P Give yourself a pat on the back for me. Your comment totally inspired me to at least finish the story.  
**Athyna DaughterofPosiedon; **Tadaaaah. Your wish came true ;D  
**DarkndAngel; **You guessed right. It totally was the silver bullet… poisoning… (I feel so lame while typing this xD). And thanks for the review of the prank chapter, it made me laugh ;D


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